Mentalizing ability, mentalizing impairments, and anorexia nervosa: Validation of the Hebrew version of the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC)

Abstract

The goal of this study was to validate the Hebrew version of the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC)—an ecological measure for assessing mentalizing ability—among patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and healthy individuals. We examined the validity of the MASC's general mentalizing ability scale and of its mentalizing impairments subscales using validated measures of mentalizing ability (Reading the Mind in the Eyes test, Cambridge Mindreading Face‐Voice Battery, and Reflective Function questionnaire) among female patients with AN (N = 35) and control participants (N = 42). ED symptoms were assessed via self‐report questionnaires. The MASCHeb correlated with measures of mentalizing ability and was found to significantly differentiate patients with AN from controls. In addition to differing on general mental ability, the groups differed on hypomentalizing (but not hypermentalizing). Based on our findings, the MASCHeb proved to be an ecologically valid tool for assessing mentalizing ability and impairments among patients with AN. Moreover, our findings demonstrated the role played by general mentalizing ability in EDs and specifically pointed to the importance of hypomentalization in EDs. These findings have therapeutic implications, as outlined in the Discussion section.

Social cognition in women with borderline personality disorder based on an exhaustive analysis of the Movie for Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC) categories

“…Previous studies have found the MASC‐SP (Spanish version) to have good internal consistency, with α = .86 (Lahera et al, 2014). The instrument has also been translated into another language such as Norwegian and Hebrew and has been found to be valid in these languages (Sarig‐Shmueli et al, 2023).…”