Schwarzer, Nicola-Hans;
Dietrich, Lars;
Gingelmaier, Stephan;
Nolte, Tobias;
Bolz, Tijs;
Fonagy, Peter;
(2023)
Mentalizing partially mediates the association between attachment insecurity and global stress in preservice teachers.
Frontiers in Psychology
, 14
, Article 1204666. 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1204666.
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Abstract
Objective: Considering the fact that the teaching profession is a highly stressful occupation and that teachers’ ineffective coping strategies contribute to higher levels of stress, the objective of the present study was to investigate whether insecure attachment is related to global stress experiences in preservice student teachers. Furthermore, it was examined whether this link is mediated by the preservice teachers’ mentalizing—the capacity to perceive and consider one’s own and others’ behavior based on intentional mental states. Methods: Data of this cross-sectional study came from 202 preservice student teachers using self-report instruments (attachment: Expectation in Close Relationships; mentalizing: Reflective Functioning Questionnaire; stress: Trier Inventory of Chronic Stress). The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling. Results: Anxious attachment was positively related to stress and impairments in mentalizing. In addition, the link between attachment-related anxiety and stress was partially mediated by mentalizing. Avoidant attachment was not associated with stress or mentalizing. Discussion: Results indicate that anxious attachment is associated with higher perceived stress in preservice student teachers. Consequently, attachmentrelated anxiety may be a risk factor which, in turn, may foster perceptions of higher global stress experiences. Conclusion: Additional research needs to focus on exploring the link between attachment insecurity and global stress experiences among preservice student teachers. An examination of preservice student teachers’ own attachment experiences proves to be useful, for example in the context of mentalizationbased supervision or reflective practice.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Mentalizing partially mediates the association between attachment insecurity and global stress in preservice teachers |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1204666 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1204666 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third-party material in this article are included in the Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Keywords: | Attachment, stress, mentalizing, teacher, preservice teacher |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences > Clinical, Edu and Hlth Psychology |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10174271 |
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