Trust under development: The Italian validation of the Epistemic Trust, Mistrust, and Credulity Questionnaire (ETMCQ) for adolescents

by Alberto Milesi, Marianna Liotti, Francesca Locati, Pietro De Carli, Anna Maria Speranza, Chloe Campbell, Peter Fonagy, Vittorio Lingiardi, Laura Parolin

In recent years, the concept of epistemic trust has emerged as a critical factor in understanding psychopathology, particularly within the context of personality disorders. A self-report instrument, the Epistemic Trust, Mistrust, and Credulity Questionnaire (ETMCQ), has demonstrated its validity among English and Italian adult populations. However, extending its applicability to adolescents is essential for comprehending the role of epistemic trust in the development of mental disorders. The aim of this study was to validate the ETMCQ within the Italian adolescent demographic.

Data were gathered from a wide selection of middle and high schools across Italy. The data collection started on 01/03/2022 and ended on 30/06/2022. Besides the ETMCQ (Study 1 = 662 participants, 12–18 years old, M = 15.56, SD = 2.20; 324 females, 338 males), we also administered other self-report instruments measuring mentalization, emotional dysregulation, general levels of psychopathology, and interpersonal trust in a smaller groups (Study 2 = 417 participants, aged from 12–19 years old, M = 15.64; SD = 2.08; 249 females, 168 males).

Our findings provide empirical validation for the theoretical framework concerning the role of epistemic trust in psychological functioning and substantiate the validity of ETMCQ as a measure to assess it among teenagers.

The ETMCQ is a valid and promising instrument for adolescent populations; its ease and brevity of administration could make it a valuable tool both in clinical and research contexts, shedding light on the role of epistemic trust in mental health.