Risk factors for internalizing symptoms: The influence of empathy, theory of mind, and negative thinking processes.

ABSTRACT: Internalizing symptoms such as elevated stress and sustained negative affect can be important warning signs for developing mental disorders. A recent theoretical framework suggests a complex interplay of empathy, theory of mind (ToM), and negative thinking processes as a crucial risk combination for internalizing symptoms. To disentangle these relationships, this study utilizes neural, behavioral, and self-report data to examine how the interplay between empathy, ToM, and negative thinking processes relates to stress and negative affect. We reanalyzed the baseline data of N = 302 healthy participants (57% female, M_age  = 40.52, SD_age  = 9.30) who participated in a large-scale mental training study, the ReSource project. Empathy and ToM were assessed using a validated

SUBMITTER: Konrad AC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10893974 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature