{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,29]],"date-time":"2026-07-29T05:00:53Z","timestamp":1785301253774,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,24]],"date-time":"2026-07-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784851200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health","IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Mentalization is a core psychological function underlying emotional regulation and vulnerability to psychopathology. This pre\u2013post naturalistic study examined whether baseline mentalization predicts depressive symptoms and alexithymia in university students undergoing brief psychoanalytic psychotherapy. A sample of 104 students was assessed at baseline (T0) and post-treatment (T1). Longitudinal path analysis showed that baseline mentalization significantly predicted both depressive symptoms and alexithymia at follow-up, controlling for their temporal stability. Lower mentalization at intake was associated with poorer outcomes at treatment. completion The model demonstrated good fit and explained a substantial proportion of variance in both outcomes. These findings suggest that mentalization functions as a transdiagnostic vulnerability factor influencing psychotherapy outcomes and highlight the clinical importance of assessing and targeting mentalization from the early stages of treatment.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph23080956","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]],"date-time":"2026-07-27T17:16:34Z","timestamp":1785172594000},"page":"956","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Baseline Mentalization Predicts Depression and Alexithymia Following Brief Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy in Students Seeking Help at a University Clinic: A Pre\u2013Post Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"23","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3185-0633","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria Domenica","family":"Sauta","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, University of Turin, via Verdi 10, 10123 Turin, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0082-3915","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giulia","family":"Raimondi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"BeSSA Department, Wellbeing, Health and Environmental Sustainability, Sapienza University of Rome, via delle Fontanelle, 02100 Rieti, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Giulia","family":"Tomaselli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, University of Turin, via Verdi 10, 10123 Turin, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Claudia","family":"Lanza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, University of Turin, via Verdi 10, 10123 Turin, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cristiana Maria","family":"Avalle","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, University of Turin, via Verdi 10, 10123 Turin, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2455-330X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Isabella Giulia","family":"Franzoi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, University of Turin, via Verdi 10, 10123 Turin, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9823-9292","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Antonella","family":"Granieri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, University of Turin, via Verdi 10, 10123 Turin, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Franzoi, I.G., Sauta, M.D., and Granieri, A. 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