Epistemic trust in adolescents
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring how trauma, symptomatology and expectations of helping relationships are related to epistemic trust in adolescents.
IRAS ID
217408
Contact name
Peter Fonagy
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Z6364106/2016/04/16, Additional reference number
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 2 days
Research summary
This study investigates if epistemic trust (ET) increases learning in (hard to reach) adolescents. \n\nET is an individual’s willingness to consider new knowledge as trustworthy and relevant, and therefore worth integrating into their lives. In contrast, epistemic mistrust is characterised by inflexible thinking patterns and a difficulty to learn from the social environment. This research aims to explore factors that affect ET, such as trauma and symptomatology, and investigate how ET effects expectations of helping relationships.\n\nAttachment and mentalisation have been linked to ET. Research suggests that children with secure attachments adopt more flexible thinking styles, including the ability to mentalise, which facilitates the development of ET. \n\nThe capacity to mentalise and attachment security is undermined in people who have experienced trauma. People who have experienced trauma are less likely to trust others and have impaired rates of learning. This study aims to explore whether trauma and early adversity is also the aetiological factor that underlies ET in adolescents.\n\nDevelopmental psychopathology has also been linked to an adolescent’s ability to mentalise. Research suggests that the psychopathology seen in Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) may be due to problems with attachment and ET. This study aims to investigate whether individuals with BPD are in a state of epistemic mistrust.\n\nEpistemic mistrust also has important implications on people’s capacity to engage and their expectations of helping relationships. This in turn is likely to have implications for a wide range of helping relationships including those found in social, educational and therapeutic environments, and impacting the extent that such relationships can facilitate change. \n\nWe are recruiting adolescents who use mental health services and whom research has previously described as ’hard to reach’. We are interested as to what factors may underlie their potential lack of trust and the implications this has, for example in accepting helping and therapeutic relationships.
REC name
London - Bloomsbury Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/LO/2108
Date of REC Opinion
27 Jan 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion