Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of the Mentalizing Emotions Questionnaire
-
Ali Rahim Hallaj
,
Mohammad Reza Abedi
,
Mahdi Rahmani Malek Abad
,
Azam Naghavi
,
Zahra Asgari
,
Lea Amelie Kasper
Abstract
Objective: The Mentalizing Emotions Questionnaire (MEQ) assesses individuals’ capacity to perceive, understand, and communicate emotional states across three dimensions: Self, Communicating, and Other. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the MEQ.
Method: Two independent samples of Iranian adults participated in this research (total N = 785; 71% female). Study 1 (N = 307) conducted an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to examine the underlying structure of the scale. Study 2 (N = 478) performed a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test the three-factor model. Internal consistency, test–retest reliability, convergent validity, and divergent validity were also assessed using established measures of mentalization, empathy, alexithymia, emotional beliefs, personality functioning, and emotion regulation.
Results: The original three-factor structure (Self, Communicating, Other) was supported. Model fit indices indicated adequate-to-good fit (CFI = 0.92, RMSEA = 0.07, SRMR = 0.05, CMIN/df = 3.74). The Persian MEQ demonstrated strong internal consistency (α = 0.82–0.90) and excellent test–retest reliability (ICC = 0.89). Convergent validity was supported by positive correlations with mentalization and empathy measures (r = 0.20–0.35). Divergent validity was evidenced by negative correlations with alexithymia (r = −0.39), maladaptive emotional beliefs (r = −0.34), and personality functioning impairments (r = −0.31). Difficulty Describing Feelings showed a strong negative association with the Communicating dimension (r = −0.43). Cognitive reappraisal demonstrated a negative association with emotional mentalizing (r = −0.29).
Conclusion: The Persian version of the MEQ demonstrates strong reliability and validity for assessing the mentalizing emotions in nonclinical Iranian populations. The findings also suggest potential cultural variations in the relationship between cognitive reappraisal and mentalizing emotions warranting further cross-cultural investigation.
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16. Fonagy P, Target M, Steele H, Steele M. Reflective-functioning manual version 5 for application to adult attachment interviews. 1998.
17. George C, West M. The adult attachment projective picture system: integrating attachment into clinical assessment. Journal of personality assessment. 2011 Sep 1;93(5):407-16.
18. Slade A, Aber J, Bresgi I, Berger B, Kaplan M. The parent development interview–revised. Unpublished protocol. 2004.
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23. Greenberg DM, Rudenstine S, Alaluf R, Jurist EL. Development and validation of the Brief-Mentalized Affectivity Scale: Evidence from cross-sectional online data and an urban community-based mental health clinic. J Clin Psychol. 2021;77(11):2638–52.
24. Becerra R, Preece DA, Gross JJ. Assessing beliefs about emotions: Development and validation of the Emotion Beliefs Questionnaire. PLoS One. 2020;15(4):e0231395.
25. Campbell C, Tanzer M, Saunders R, Booker T, Allison E, Li E, et al. Development and validation of a self-report measure of epistemic trust. PLoS One. 2021;16(4):e0250264.
26. Morey LC. Development and initial evaluation of a self-report form of the DSM-5 Level of Personality Functioning Scale. Psychol Assess. 2017;29(10):1302–8.
27. Parker JD, Taylor GJ, Bagby RM. The 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale. III. Reliability and factorial validity in a community population. J Psychosom Res. 2003;55(3):269–75.
28. Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S. The empathy quotient: an investigation of adults with Asperger syndrome or high functioning autism, and normal sex differences. J Autism Dev Disord. 2004;34(2):163–75.
29. Gross JJ, John OP. Individual differences in two emotion regulation processes: implications for affect, relationships, and well-being. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2003;85(2):348–62.
30. Jurist E. Minding emotions: Cultivating mentalization in psychotherapy: Guilford Publications; 2018.
31. Jurist EL. Mentalized affectivity. Psychoanalytic psychology. 2005;22(3):426.
32. Aival-Naveh E, Rothschild-Yakar L, Kurman J. Keeping culture in mind: A systematic review and initial conceptualization of mentalizing from a cross-cultural perspective. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice. 2019;26(4):e12300.
33. Butler EA, Lee TL, Gross JJ. Emotion regulation and culture: are the social consequences of emotion suppression culture-specific? Emotion. 2007;7(1):30–48.
34. Kitayama S, Mesquita B, Karasawa M. Cultural affordances and emotional experience: socially engaging and disengaging emotions in Japan and the United States. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2006;91(5):890–903.
35. Mauss IB, Gross JJ. Emotion suppression and cardiovascular. Emotional expression and health: Advances in theory, assessment and clinical applications. 2004;60.
36. Murata A, Moser JS, Kitayama S. Culture shapes electrocortical responses during emotion suppression. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2013;8(5):595–601.
37. Ma X, Tamir M, Miyamoto Y. A socio-cultural instrumental approach to emotion regulation: Culture and the regulation of positive emotions. Emotion. 2018;18(1):138–52.
38. Jafarpoor F, Shayegh E, Haghjoo P, Ghanbari S. Persian Mentalized Affectivity Scale (MAS): Reliability, Validity, and Cultural Considerations. Brain Behav. 2025;15(9):e70880.
39. Asgarizadeh A, Ghanbari S. Iranian adaptation of the Epistemic Trust, Mistrust, and Credulity Questionnaire (ETMCQ): Validity, reliability, discriminant ability, and sex invariance. Brain Behav. 2024;14(3):e3455.
40. Bollen KA. Structural equations with latent variables: John Wiley & Sons; 1989.
41. Farahani H, RoshanChesli R. Calculation and justification of sample size in researches of psychological sciences: Application of G* Power software. Clinical Psychology and Personality. 2023;20(2):221–34.
42. Borsa JC, Damásio BF, Bandeira DR. Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of psychological instruments: Some considerations. Paidéia (Ribeirão Preto). 2012;22:423–32.
43. Bujang MA, Omar ED, Foo DHP, Hon YK. Sample size determination for conducting a pilot study to assess reliability of a questionnaire. Restor Dent Endod. 2024;49(1):e3.
44. Asgarizadeh A, Sharp C, Ghanbari S. Shame-coping clusters: comparisons regarding attachment insecurities, mentalizing deficits, and personality pathology, controlling for general emotion dysregulation. Borderline Personal Disord Emot Dysregul. 2023;10(1):25.
45. Ranjbar S, Mazidi M, Gross JJ, Preece D, Zarei M, Azizi A, et al. Examining the cross cultural validity and measurement invariance of the Emotion Beliefs Questionnaire (EBQ) in Iran and the USA. J Psychopathol Behav Assess. 2023;45(3):755–66.
46. Abou Alghasemi A. HE RELIABILITY AND VALIDATION OF THE EMPATHY QUOTIENT SCALE FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. 2010.
47. Tabachnick BG, Fidell LS, Ullman JB. Using multivariate statistics: pearson Boston, MA; 2007.
48. Bortz J, Döring N. Forschungsmethoden und evaluation: für human-und sozialwissenschaftler: Springer-Verlag; 2013.
49. Meyers LS, Gamst G, Guarino AJ. Applied multivariate research: Design and interpretation: Sage publications; 2016.
50. Awang Z. A handbook on structural equation modeling using AMOS. Universiti Technologi MARA Press, Malaysia. 2012:83–102.
51. Cronbach LJ. Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika. 1951;16(3):297-334.
52. McNeish D. Thanks coefficient alpha, we'll take it from here. Psychol Methods. 2018;23(3):412–33.
53. Cohen J. Set correlation and contingency tables. Applied psychological measurement. 1988;12(4):425–34.
54. West SG, Finch JF, Curran PJ. Structural equation models with nonnormal variables: Problems and remedies. 1995.
55. Dadkhah A, Shirinbayan P. EMOTION REGULATION CHARACTERISTICS DEVELOPMENT IN IRANIAN PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS1. 2014.
56. Jurist E, Sosa MP. Commentary on mentalization and culture. 2019.
57. Song H, Chan JS, Ryan C. Differences and similarities in the use of nine emotion regulation strategies in Western and East-Asian cultures: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. 2024;55(8):865–85.
58. Klein ND, Bravo AJ, Conway CC, Keough MT, Pilatti A, Mezquita L. Individualism, collectivism, and emotion regulation: A cross-cultural examination among young adults from seven countries. Curr Psychol. 2024;43(31):26007–18.
59. Matsumoto D, Yoo SH, Nakagawa S. Culture, emotion regulation, and adjustment. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2008;94(6):925–37.
60. Ramzan N, Amjad N. Cross cultural variation in emotion regulation: A systematic review. Annals of King Edward Medical University. 2017;23(1).
2. Gross JJ. Handbook of emotion regulation: Guilford publications; 2013.
3. Lincoln TM, Schulze L, Renneberg B. The role of emotion regulation in the characterization, development and treatment of psychopathology. Nat Rev Psychol. 2022;1(5):272–86.
4. Zitzmann J, Rombold-George L, Rosenbach C, Renneberg B. Emotion Regulation, Parenting, and Psychopathology: A Systematic Review. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev. 2024;27(1):1–22.
5. Schwarzer N-H, Nolte T, Fonagy P, Gingelmaier S, editors. Mentalizing and emotion regulation: Evidence from a nonclinical sample. International forum of psychoanalysis; 2021: Taylor & Francis.
6. Fonagy P, Steele M, Steele H, Moran GS, Higgitt AC. The capacity for understanding mental states: The reflective self in parent and child and its significance for security of attachment. Infant Ment Health J. 1991;12(3):201–18.
7. Fonagy P, Gergely G, Jurist EL. Affect regulation, mentalization and the development of the self: Routledge; 2018.
8. Fonagy P, Allison E. The role of mentalizing and epistemic trust in the therapeutic relationship. Psychotherapy (Chic). 2014;51(3):372–80.
9. Brüne M, Walden S, Edel MA, Dimaggio G. Mentalization of complex emotions in borderline personality disorder: The impact of parenting and exposure to trauma on the performance in a novel cartoon-based task. Compr Psychiatry. 2016;64:29–37.
10. Fowler S. The relationship between traumatic events and psychological symptomatology and the moderating role of mentalization. 2016.
11. Rosso AM, Viterbori P, Scopesi AM. Are maternal reflective functioning and attachment security associated with preadolescent mentalization? Front Psychol. 2015;6:1134.
12. Fonagy P, Luyten P, Bateman A, Gergely G, Strathearn L, Target M, et al. Attachment and personality pathology. Psychodynamic psychotherapy for personality disorders: A clinical handbook. 2010;1:37–88.
13. Kasper LA. Mentalisieren in der Psychotherapie 2024.
14. Kasper LA, Hauschild S, Berning A, Holl J, Taubner S. Development and validation of the Mentalizing Emotions Questionnaire: A self-report measure for mentalizing emotions of the self and other. PLoS One. 2024;19(5):e0300984.
15. Taubner S, Hörz S, Fischer-Kern M, Doering S, Buchheim A, Zimmermann J. Internal structure of the Reflective Functioning Scale. Psychol Assess. 2013;25(1):127–35.
16. Fonagy P, Target M, Steele H, Steele M. Reflective-functioning manual version 5 for application to adult attachment interviews. 1998.
17. George C, West M. The adult attachment projective picture system: integrating attachment into clinical assessment. Journal of personality assessment. 2011 Sep 1;93(5):407-16.
18. Slade A, Aber J, Bresgi I, Berger B, Kaplan M. The parent development interview–revised. Unpublished protocol. 2004.
19. Fonagy P, Luyten P, Moulton-Perkins A, Lee YW, Warren F, Howard S, et al. Development and Validation of a Self-Report Measure of Mentalizing: The Reflective Functioning Questionnaire. PLoS One. 2016;11(7):e0158678.
20. Hausberg MC, Schulz H, Piegler T, Happach CG, Klöpper M, Brütt AL, et al. Is a self-rated instrument appropriate to assess mentalization in patients with mental disorders? Development and first validation of the mentalization questionnaire (MZQ). Psychother Res. 2012;22(6):699–709.
21. Dimitrijević A, Hanak N, Altaras Dimitrijević A, Jolić Marjanović Z. The Mentalization Scale (MentS): A Self-Report Measure for the Assessment of Mentalizing Capacity. J Pers Assess. 2018;100(3):268–80.
22. Greenberg DM, Kolasi J, Hegsted CP, Berkowitz Y, Jurist EL. Mentalized affectivity: A new model and assessment of emotion regulation. PLoS One. 2017;12(10):e0185264.
23. Greenberg DM, Rudenstine S, Alaluf R, Jurist EL. Development and validation of the Brief-Mentalized Affectivity Scale: Evidence from cross-sectional online data and an urban community-based mental health clinic. J Clin Psychol. 2021;77(11):2638–52.
24. Becerra R, Preece DA, Gross JJ. Assessing beliefs about emotions: Development and validation of the Emotion Beliefs Questionnaire. PLoS One. 2020;15(4):e0231395.
25. Campbell C, Tanzer M, Saunders R, Booker T, Allison E, Li E, et al. Development and validation of a self-report measure of epistemic trust. PLoS One. 2021;16(4):e0250264.
26. Morey LC. Development and initial evaluation of a self-report form of the DSM-5 Level of Personality Functioning Scale. Psychol Assess. 2017;29(10):1302–8.
27. Parker JD, Taylor GJ, Bagby RM. The 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale. III. Reliability and factorial validity in a community population. J Psychosom Res. 2003;55(3):269–75.
28. Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S. The empathy quotient: an investigation of adults with Asperger syndrome or high functioning autism, and normal sex differences. J Autism Dev Disord. 2004;34(2):163–75.
29. Gross JJ, John OP. Individual differences in two emotion regulation processes: implications for affect, relationships, and well-being. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2003;85(2):348–62.
30. Jurist E. Minding emotions: Cultivating mentalization in psychotherapy: Guilford Publications; 2018.
31. Jurist EL. Mentalized affectivity. Psychoanalytic psychology. 2005;22(3):426.
32. Aival-Naveh E, Rothschild-Yakar L, Kurman J. Keeping culture in mind: A systematic review and initial conceptualization of mentalizing from a cross-cultural perspective. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice. 2019;26(4):e12300.
33. Butler EA, Lee TL, Gross JJ. Emotion regulation and culture: are the social consequences of emotion suppression culture-specific? Emotion. 2007;7(1):30–48.
34. Kitayama S, Mesquita B, Karasawa M. Cultural affordances and emotional experience: socially engaging and disengaging emotions in Japan and the United States. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2006;91(5):890–903.
35. Mauss IB, Gross JJ. Emotion suppression and cardiovascular. Emotional expression and health: Advances in theory, assessment and clinical applications. 2004;60.
36. Murata A, Moser JS, Kitayama S. Culture shapes electrocortical responses during emotion suppression. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2013;8(5):595–601.
37. Ma X, Tamir M, Miyamoto Y. A socio-cultural instrumental approach to emotion regulation: Culture and the regulation of positive emotions. Emotion. 2018;18(1):138–52.
38. Jafarpoor F, Shayegh E, Haghjoo P, Ghanbari S. Persian Mentalized Affectivity Scale (MAS): Reliability, Validity, and Cultural Considerations. Brain Behav. 2025;15(9):e70880.
39. Asgarizadeh A, Ghanbari S. Iranian adaptation of the Epistemic Trust, Mistrust, and Credulity Questionnaire (ETMCQ): Validity, reliability, discriminant ability, and sex invariance. Brain Behav. 2024;14(3):e3455.
40. Bollen KA. Structural equations with latent variables: John Wiley & Sons; 1989.
41. Farahani H, RoshanChesli R. Calculation and justification of sample size in researches of psychological sciences: Application of G* Power software. Clinical Psychology and Personality. 2023;20(2):221–34.
42. Borsa JC, Damásio BF, Bandeira DR. Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of psychological instruments: Some considerations. Paidéia (Ribeirão Preto). 2012;22:423–32.
43. Bujang MA, Omar ED, Foo DHP, Hon YK. Sample size determination for conducting a pilot study to assess reliability of a questionnaire. Restor Dent Endod. 2024;49(1):e3.
44. Asgarizadeh A, Sharp C, Ghanbari S. Shame-coping clusters: comparisons regarding attachment insecurities, mentalizing deficits, and personality pathology, controlling for general emotion dysregulation. Borderline Personal Disord Emot Dysregul. 2023;10(1):25.
45. Ranjbar S, Mazidi M, Gross JJ, Preece D, Zarei M, Azizi A, et al. Examining the cross cultural validity and measurement invariance of the Emotion Beliefs Questionnaire (EBQ) in Iran and the USA. J Psychopathol Behav Assess. 2023;45(3):755–66.
46. Abou Alghasemi A. HE RELIABILITY AND VALIDATION OF THE EMPATHY QUOTIENT SCALE FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. 2010.
47. Tabachnick BG, Fidell LS, Ullman JB. Using multivariate statistics: pearson Boston, MA; 2007.
48. Bortz J, Döring N. Forschungsmethoden und evaluation: für human-und sozialwissenschaftler: Springer-Verlag; 2013.
49. Meyers LS, Gamst G, Guarino AJ. Applied multivariate research: Design and interpretation: Sage publications; 2016.
50. Awang Z. A handbook on structural equation modeling using AMOS. Universiti Technologi MARA Press, Malaysia. 2012:83–102.
51. Cronbach LJ. Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika. 1951;16(3):297-334.
52. McNeish D. Thanks coefficient alpha, we'll take it from here. Psychol Methods. 2018;23(3):412–33.
53. Cohen J. Set correlation and contingency tables. Applied psychological measurement. 1988;12(4):425–34.
54. West SG, Finch JF, Curran PJ. Structural equation models with nonnormal variables: Problems and remedies. 1995.
55. Dadkhah A, Shirinbayan P. EMOTION REGULATION CHARACTERISTICS DEVELOPMENT IN IRANIAN PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS1. 2014.
56. Jurist E, Sosa MP. Commentary on mentalization and culture. 2019.
57. Song H, Chan JS, Ryan C. Differences and similarities in the use of nine emotion regulation strategies in Western and East-Asian cultures: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. 2024;55(8):865–85.
58. Klein ND, Bravo AJ, Conway CC, Keough MT, Pilatti A, Mezquita L. Individualism, collectivism, and emotion regulation: A cross-cultural examination among young adults from seven countries. Curr Psychol. 2024;43(31):26007–18.
59. Matsumoto D, Yoo SH, Nakagawa S. Culture, emotion regulation, and adjustment. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2008;94(6):925–37.
60. Ramzan N, Amjad N. Cross cultural variation in emotion regulation: A systematic review. Annals of King Edward Medical University. 2017;23(1).
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| Issue | Vol 21 No 2 (2026) | |
| Section | Original Article(s) | |
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| Assessment Emotions Mentalization Psychometrics Psychology | ||
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How to Cite
1.
Rahim Hallaj A, Abedi MR, Rahmani Malek Abad M, Naghavi A, Asgari Z, Kasper LA. Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of the Mentalizing Emotions Questionnaire. Iran J Psychiatry. 2026;21(2):234-248.
