Karagiannopoulou Evangelia, Lianos Panagiotis, Andriopoulou Panoraia, Rentzios Christos, Fonagy Peter
Department of Psychology, University of Ioannina, Greece.
Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2025 Aug 13;20(8):e0304749. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304749. eCollection 2025.
Research on emotional factors and mental health in higher education has gained traction. Much attention has focused on first-year students as a potentially at-risk group, though some studies suggest that all students might face similar risks. This study examines differences between junior and senior undergraduates in terms of mentalizing, emotion regulation (ER), and psychological mindedness, involving cognitive capacities significantly developed by late adolescence. These constructs relate to understanding one's own and others' mental states, potentially mediating the relationship between attachment and epistemic trust (ET). The current study includes 460 undergraduate students, most of whom are female (96%). Results show that senior students score higher on reappraisal, certainty, and interest/curiosity compared to junior students. However, these factors did not mediate the relationship between anxious attachment orientation and ET. Certainty and interest/curiosity mediated the relationship between avoidant attachment orientation and ET, suggesting similar mediation patterns for junior and senior students. On the other hand, suppression and uncertainty/confusion were critical mediators in the relationship between insecure (anxious and avoidant) attachment orientations and epistemic trust. Findings suggest that universities should (a) foster environments that support psychological capacity and facilitate positive learning experiences, and (b) enhance epistemic trust through safe curiosity and develop protective and preventive interventions.
高等教育中关于情绪因素与心理健康的研究日益受到关注。尽管一些研究表明所有学生可能都面临类似风险，但很多注意力都集中在一年级学生这一潜在的风险群体上。本研究考察了大三和大四本科生在心理化、情绪调节（ER）和心理敏锐度方面的差异，这些认知能力在青春期后期会得到显著发展。这些构念与理解自己和他人的心理状态有关，可能会调节依恋与认知信任（ET）之间的关系。本研究包括460名本科生，其中大多数为女生（96%）。结果显示，与大三学生相比，大四学生在重新评价、确定性以及兴趣/好奇心方面得分更高。然而，这些因素并未调节焦虑依恋取向与认知信任之间的关系。确定性和兴趣/好奇心调节了回避型依恋取向与认知信任之间的关系，这表明大三和大四学生的调节模式相似。另一方面，压抑以及不确定性/困惑是不安全（焦虑和回避）依恋取向与认知信任之间关系的关键调节因素。研究结果表明，大学应该（a）营造支持心理能力并促进积极学习体验的环境，以及（b）通过安全的好奇心增强认知信任，并制定保护性和预防性干预措施。
