The Effectiveness of a Mentalization-Based Cognitive–Emotional Intervention on Emotion Recognition, Theory of Mind, and Social Competence in Adolescents at the Threshold of Puberty
Keywords:
Mentalization, Emotion Recognition, Theory of Mind, Social Competence, Adolescents, PubertyAbstract
The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a mentalization-based cognitive–emotional intervention on emotion recognition, theory of mind, and social competence among adolescents at the threshold of puberty. This study employed a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest-follow-up design with an experimental group and a control group. The statistical population consisted of female adolescents aged 11 to 13 years attending schools in Tehran during the 2025–2026 academic year. Thirty eligible participants were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group, with 15 participants in each group. The research instruments included the Ekman 60 Faces Test for emotion recognition, the revised Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test for theory of mind, and the Felner Social Competence Scale. The experimental group received the mentalization-based cognitive–emotional intervention in 10 weekly 90-minute group sessions, whereas the control group received no intervention. Assessments were conducted at pretest, posttest, and a two-month follow-up. Data were analyzed using mixed analysis of variance with repeated measures and Bonferroni post-hoc comparisons in SPSS version 29. The time × group interaction was significant for emotion recognition, F=43.77, p<0.001, η²p=0.610. Significant interaction effects were also found for theory of mind, F=40.06, p<0.001, η²p=0.589, and social competence, F=53.76, p<0.001, η²p=0.658. Bonferroni comparisons indicated significant increases from pretest to posttest and from pretest to follow-up for all three variables in the experimental group, p<0.001. However, the differences between posttest and follow-up were not significant for emotion recognition, p=0.121, theory of mind, p=0.278, or social competence, p=0.197. A mentalization-based cognitive–emotional intervention can be considered an effective and relatively stable approach for improving emotion recognition, theory of mind, and social competence among adolescents approaching puberty.
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