INTRODUCTION: Mentalization can be an important tool to tackle the effects on mental health due to COVID-19 lockdown measures. OBJECTIVES: The main objective of this study was to evaluate mentalization, loneliness, internalizing problems and subjective experience during COVID-19 quarantine. Specific objectives included the study of a) temporal evolution of mentalization, loneliness and internalizing symptoms b) effects of loneliness and mentalization on anxiety/depression and somatic complaints and c) moderation effects of mentalization on loneliness. METHODOLOGY: This was part of a three-phase, cross sectional, longitudinal qualitative/quantitative design study, with an intentional, non-probabilistic sample. MentS, Three-Item-loneliness Scale and Adult self-report were used to measure mentalization, loneliness, internalizing symptoms and somatic complaints, respectively. RESULTS: Feelings of loneliness, anxiety/depressive symptoms and somatic complaints increased over time. Significant variations of loneliness on depression, anxiety and somatic complaints were observed, and it’s higher level was linked with higher presence of symptoms. Mentalization experienced no significant change, and a higher level of it was associated with lower symptomatology and marginally significant moderation effects over loneliness. DISCUSSION AND LIMITATIONS: A mentalization based intervention should be proposed to mitigate the effects of loneliness on internalizing symptoms. The sample was not representative of the population.

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