Mapping the Adolescent Mind: Profiles of Reflective Functioning and Epistemic Trust in Adolescent Psychopathology

Introduction Adolescence is a period of heightened vulnerability to psychopathology, when capacities for mentalising and interpersonal trust develop rapidly. This study investigated how configurations of reflective functioning (RF) and epistemic trust (ET) differentiate patterns of internalizing and externalizing problems in youth.Methods In a community sample of 688 adolescents (47.8% female; M = 15.51 years, SD = 1.80), latent profile analysis was conducted on RF uncertainty and certainty, as well as ET trust, mistrust, and credulity.Results Four distinct profiles were identified. An Ambivalent profile (intact RF with high credulity and mistrust; mainly female) was associated with the highest internalizing problems, while an Impaired RF profile (simultaneously high uncertainty and certainty; mainly male) showed the highest externalizing problems. An Adaptive profile (older adolescents with low RF impairment, high trust, and low mistrust/credulity) and a Disengaged profile (consistently low RF and ET scores) exhibited the lowest levels of symptoms. A MANOVA confirmed significant group differences across profiles.Conclusions These findings suggest that different RF-ET configurations reflect complementary pathways to internalizing and externalizing vulnerabilities, highlighting the importance of person-centered assessment for identifying process-based targets for early prevention and intervention.