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Introduction: The construct of epistemic trust (ET) has gained wide acceptance and support in the field, although there is little empirical evidence to substantiate the theoretical assumed model. Studies of the assessment of ET were conducted in community samples only and the mediating role of attachment and mentalizing in addition to ET was not investigated. This study examines the theoretical assumed relationships between ET and attachment and mentalizing as well as the mediating role of attachment, mentalizing and ET in the association between childhood adversity and borderline personality disorder (BPD) in a heterogeneous sample containing also patients. Methods: The associations between ET and attachment, mentalizing, childhood maltreatment and BPD were explored in a sample of 245 participants, including subjects from the community as well as patients diagnosed with anxiety and personality disorders from two clinical samples. Multiple mediation analysis was performed to explore the mediating role of attachment (ECR-R), mentalizing (RFQ), and ET within the relationship between childhood trauma (CTQ-SF) and BPD (MSI-BPD). Results: Strong relationships between ET and attachment and mentalizing were found indicating that lower degrees of cET are associated with insecure attachment and lower reflective functioning. Attachment, mentalizing, and ET together accounted for 75% of the mediation between childhood adversity and BPD. Hypomentalizing and anxious attachment accounted for the largest share of the mediation. Conclusion: Our findings provide preliminary evidence for the theoretical supposed model of ET and suggest relevance of ET in the mediation between childhood adversity and PDs, although the role of ET seems smaller than assumed by recent theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Questions regarding the construction of mathematical authority haveimplications for learning, specifically for students' views of themselves as mathematics learners and doers with valuable contributions. We consider the ideas proposed by eight first-grade students who had the most airtime during 12 lessons of a classroom teaching experiment.We noted when ideas were proposed and how those ideas were responded to. We observed one student, Tia, be positioned and trusted as a source of mathematical authority by their peers and found that Tia had more airtime, made more contributions, and proposed more ideas than their peers. Our theoretical contribution is the link we make between work on mathematical authority and work on epistemic trust by making sense of our findings in terms of research on fact checking and trusting inaccurate informants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent approaches to the social epistemology of belief formation have appealed to an epidemiological model, on which the mechanisms explaining how we form beliefs from our society or community along the lines of infectious disease. More specifically, Alvin Goldman (2001) proposes an etiology of (social) belief along the lines of an epistemological epidemiology. On this "contagion model," beliefs are construed as diseases that infect people via some socio-epistemic community. This paper reconsiders Goldman's epidemiological approach in terms of epistemic trust. By focusing on beliefs as diseases, Goldman misconstrues and underestimates the central role that epistemic trust plays in their formation (maintenance, revision, etc.). I suggest that we put trust, accordingly, as the center of an epidemiological model of social doxology—epistemic trust, rather than beliefs, is the disease with which one is infected. So, contra Goldman, beliefs themselves aren't the disease—they are symptoms. Trust, on this approach, can be viewed as a pathology. This point connects Annette Baier's (1994) work on moral trust—taking a cue from her "pathologies of trust." The real pathology centered in social doxology is the epistemic trust manifested by those beliefs. Accordingly, I shall explore (and tentatively defend) an epidemiological model for such "pathological" epistemic trust inspired by Baier's work on moral trust, one which can more adequately account for the infectious epistemic trust at work in social belief formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews an approach to working with families that grounds in systemic thinking the framework of mentalization-based treatment. Employing a mentalizing stance, this approach aims to interrupt coercive, nonmentalizing cycles of interaction within the family system and replace them with mentalizing conversations in which epistemic trust and the shared social-emotional learning of the we-mode can be generated. The process thus promoted is a spiral of shared attention and co-mentalizing, constantly lost and then recovered, in which therapist and family members learn to hear, recognize, understand, and trust one another and repair the inevitable disruptions in mentalizing and trust that allow family members to experience a way of shared knowing— the we-mode—that they can apply to communicate and solve problems both within the family system and in the broader social systems in which the family is embedded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epistemic trust—trust in the relevance and utility of social learning—is central to helping processes between clients and workers in helping services. Yet, due to their experiences, clients may adaptively develop predispositions toward stances of epistemic mistrust or epistemic credulity. From an AMBIT (adaptive mentalization-based integrative treatment) perspective, this article argues that epistemic mistrust and credulity are both caused by social injustice and generate further social injustice. Helping services commonly respond in ways that fail to acknowledge this social injustice and, perversely, deliver further injustice still. Our primary focus is how these issues relate to work with clients, but we argue that they are present in work within AMBIT's other foci, too: in teams, multiagency networks, and learning. We conclude that workers and helping services have a moral duty to recognize and attend to the multiple social injustices associated with epistemic mistrust and credulity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the implications of epistemic trust within the mentalizing model of psychopathology and psychotherapy, emphasizing the role of the restoration of epistemic trust in therapeutic settings. At the core of this exploration is the developmental theory of mentalizing, which posits that an individual's ability to understand mental states—both their own and others'—is cultivated through early caregiver interactions. The article expands on this concept by reviewing and integrating evolutionary theories suggesting that humans have evolved a unique sensitivity to teaching and learning through ostensive cues, enhancing our capacity for cultural transmission and cooperation. However, adversities such as trauma or neglect can disrupt this developmental trajectory, leading to epistemic disruption, where individuals struggle to engage with or learn from social experiences effectively. This disruption can manifest in psychological disorders, where mentalizing failures are associated with difficulties in social functioning and in maintaining relationships. The article proposes that psychotherapeutic approaches can effectively address these disruptions, and it outlines three key aspects of communication that unfold in psychotherapeutic interventions. It discusses how the effectiveness of these interventions may hinge on the reestablishment of epistemic trust, enabling patients to reengage with their social environments constructively and adaptively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This introduction to the special issue on mentalization-based treatment (MBT) with children, adolescents, and families highlights a range of conceptual and clinical contributions that illustrate the richness and usefulness of applying developmental and family systems perspectives to an MBT framework to alleviate the plight of young people and their parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study investigated the role of epistemic trust in shaping consumers intentions towards purchasing sustainable food products by examining the relationships between epistemic trust, credibility of science, scepticism about climate change and intentions to purchase sustainable food. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected using a survey. A total of 391 consumers participated in the study. Structural equation modelling was employed for data analysis. Findings: The results showed that the trust dimension was significantly and positively associated with credibility of science (p = 0.004) and negatively with scepticism about climate change (p = 0.018); mistrust was significantly and negatively associated with credibility of science (p = ≤0.001); credibility of science had a significant negative effect on scepticism about climate change (p = ≤0.001) and scepticism about climate change had a significant direct and negative impact on intention to purchase sustainable food (p = ≤0.001). Furthermore, results indicated that the link between trust, mistrust and intention to purchase sustainable food was significantly mediated by the credibility of science and scepticism about climate change. Practical implications: The results can preliminarily suggest policies promoting transparency and direct consumer experiences in organisational practices, with implications extending to other sectors like education and public information. Originality/value: For the first time, epistemic trust is specifically considered as an antecedent of intentions to purchase sustainable food, while also examining its relationships with scepticism about climate change and the credibility of science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The present study introduces and validates the Epistemic Trust Rating System (ETRS), an observer-based measure designed to assess epistemic trust (ET) within psychotherapy. ET in psychotherapy has gained much theoretical attention as a critical component in the therapeutic context, given its inherent link to social communication. However, its empirical validation remains pending, largely due to the absence of a refined instrument to gauge ET levels within the therapy environment. Therefore, this study aimed to translate ET's theoretical construct into tangible markers within the therapeutic context. Method: One hundred eighteen patients enrolled in a randomized controlled trial received psychodynamic psychotherapy for depression. Incorporating top-down theoretical considerations with bottom-up empirical observations yielded an overall ETRS score accompanied by three distinct sub-scales, each assessing a singular ET element: one gauges the patient's propensity to share; another measures the degree to which "we-mode" moments are achieved within the session; and the third evaluates the patient's receptiveness to learning. Results: The findings demonstrate the psychometric robustness of the ETRS, with good internal consistency, interrater reliability (ICC(1,8) =.86-.90), and convergent (r =.23-.29) and discriminant validity (r = -.10). Conclusion: The current study highlights the ETRS as a promising tool bridging theory and empirical exploration, enhancing our understanding of epistemic trust in psychotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines epistemic notions of trust and distrust in institutional encounters from the perspective of forced migrants settling in the changing welfare states of Finland and Sweden. While there is an emerging body of research on the forms, antecedents and directions of trust among forced migrants, the epistemic notion of trust is still under-researched. This article draws on interviews with forced migrants settling in Finland and Sweden. The theoretical framework combines theoretical understandings of trust and epistemic interactions. In the analysis, I show how epistemic notions of trust and distrust, which entail being trusted or distrusted as a knower, emerge as central in understanding trust shaping in institutional encounters. The article illuminates the role of intermediators in epistemic trust and distrust trajectories, as trust-shaping processes also involve actors other than street-level bureaucrats. In addition, the article introduces the concept of epistemic scaffolding to show the importance of supporting service users with a forced migration background as knowers to be. Thus, the article contributes to scholarly discussions around the multifaceted and dynamic phenomenon of trust and its various directions among forced migrants in the context of institutional encounters in the Nordics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. On one hand, education is a specific form of social interaction where participants’ trust is a prerequisite rather than an outcome. On the other hand, the contemporary informational environment, in which new educational practices emerge, is replete with unverified and false information that complicates trust. This creates a paradox: online education simultaneously demands both swift trust and epistemic vigilance. Swift trust and epistemic vigilance are understood as two regimes of critical thinking, and the factors influencing the switch between these regimes are the subject of this study. Purpose. To identify the factors that trigger different regimes of critical thinking in online learning. Materials and methods. The theoretical part of the study is based on the synthesis of epistemic trust concept, theory of swift trust and social-epistemological approach to critical thinking. Based on this, the article presents a pilot survey of students of massive open online courses of Lobachevsky University online learning platform (N=83). Results. The main finding is that the key factor in switching between swift trust and epistemic vigilance is the previous negative online learning experiences. having such experience is consolidated and sharply reduces expectations from any subsequent online learning. The absence of negative experiences, on the contrary, increases swift trust and reduces epistemic vigilance. The main mechanisms of switching between regimes of critical thinking in online education are presented as epistemic delegation, appeal to statistics, logical-grammatical representation, and visual representation. Sponsorship information. The work was funded with a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (project № 24-28-00809 “Critical thinking studies: fundamental research on critical thinking as an interdisciplinary problem”)

Background Aim Materials and Methods Findings Results Discussion Mentalization‐based treatment (MBT) has been proposed as a promising approach when treating patients suffering from borderline personality disorder (BPD) and severe self‐harm. Though study findings on MBT for patients who self‐harm are convincing, a meta‐analysis showed mixed results, calling for further research and the development of treatment protocols (Gross et al., 2024).The aim of this study was to describe an add‐on AMBIT intervention for adult patients suffering from severe self‐harm. To demonstrate the add‐on AMBIT’s potential, a descriptive longitudinal study design was facilitated and illustrated with a single case of a woman in her mid‐twenties suffering from BPD and severe self‐harm.Multiple data sources were applied to show the longitudinal development of the patient one year before entering treatment, during treatment, and one year after treatment including calculation of number of hospitalized bed days, coercion episodes, and suicide attempts. Additionally, the Deliberate Self‐Harm Inventory, the Affect Integration Inventory, the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems, the Hopkins Symptom Checklist, and the WHO’s Quality of Life questionnaire were measured every third month during a 2‐year treatment period to examine trajectories of change across time.Statistically significant increases were observed in levels of self‐compassion, self‐reassurance, emotion regulation skills and well‐being. Significant reductions were found in self‐criticism, anxiety and stress, and post‐study, participants became more open to receiving compassion from others.Results revealed significant improvements on all measured parameters including a reduction in the patient’s number of bed days (from 166 to 0), hospitalizations (from 4 to 0), coercion episodes (from 22 to 0), and suicide attempts (from 2 to 0). Furthermore, measures during the treatment period showed reduced self‐harm, decreased symptomatology, increased affect integration, better interpersonal functionality, and improved everyday functioning. Measures 1 year after treatment suggested lasting effects.The potential of the add‐on AMBIT intervention is discussed, including limitations and future research recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are psychosocial factors acknowledged as significant contributors to health consequences later in adolescence, including psychological maladjustment. The research suggests that, at a transdiagnostic and transtheoretical level, working on restoring epistemic trust (ET), mentalized affectivity (MA), and reflective functioning (RF) in adolescents with ACEs assumes a central role in the therapeutic process. However, there are still few studies that attempted to investigate the specific role of these sociocognitive factors in the detrimental positive association between levels of experienced ACEs during childhood and psychological maladjustment in nonclinical adolescents. Methods: A community sample of 306 Italian cisgender adolescents (61.4% assigned females at birth; age range 13–19 years old; Mage = 16.1, SD = 1.64) self‐reported ACEs (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire‐Short Form), psychological maladjustment (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire), ET (Epistemic Trust, Mistrust and Credulity Questionnaire), MA (Brief‐Mentalized Affectivity Scale for Adolescence), and RF (Reflective Functioning Questionnaire). A multiple mediation regression analysis has been performed to explore the association between ACEs and psychological maladjustment through the interaction with socio‐cognitive factors. Results: ACEs are positive predictors of psychological maladjustment later in adolescence. Regardless of gender differences, epistemic mistrust and credulity, processing and expressing emotions, and uncertainty about mental states mediated this association, while epistemic trust, identifying emotions, and certainty about mental states did not configure as significant mediators. Conclusion: Findings suggest that ET disruptions and deficits in RF are risk factors, while MA is a protective factor within the link between ACEs and psychological maladjustment in adolescence. These links help to specify the role of sociocognitive factors in the development of mental problems in adolescents who have been exposed to adverse experiences in childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fact-or-Faux addresses misinformation and science media literacy. Here, we describe how students can build on their own experience to develop a concept of the social role of expertise, essential to respect for scientists' claims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Epistemic trust (ET), the authenticity and personal relevance we assign to interpersonally transmitted knowledge, is considered an essential component of any effective therapy. Despite its clinical significance, comprehensive empirical support is still lacking regarding whether ET is an inherent characteristic of the patient or acts as a catalyst for therapeutic change. Consequently, unlike other critical components, a clear distinction between its aspects – the patient’s attributes, the therapist’s contribution, and their unique therapeutic relationship – remains elusive, leaving our understanding incomplete. The current study examines the constituents of ET in therapy and its related effects through three distinct lenses: a blended snapshot lens, a prognostic lens, and a lens focusing on state-like changes. The constituents of ET were measured as follows: patient attributes were measured using attachment orientation and interpersonal functioning scales; therapist contribution was evaluated through scales assessing the therapist’s use of techniques; and the patient-therapist therapeutic relationship was gauged using the working alliance scale. Methods: We collected and analyzed data from 116 patients who participated in manualized psychodynamic psychotherapy sessions to investigate the trait-like and state-like components of ET. Results: The results offer a comprehensive panoramic view with small to medium, but meaningful, correlations between ET and patients’ attributes (ranging from 0.18 to −0.26); therapists’ contributions (ranging between 0.15 and 0.28); and the patient-therapist therapeutic relationship (ranging between 0.17 and 0.23). Conclusion: While some findings were consistent with our expectations, others were contrary, highlighting the necessity of considering the variations between and within patients as they have distinct theoretical, clinical, and empirical implications. Employing these three distinct lenses helps therapists gain a better understanding of the clinical picture reflected by the patient over different treatment periods. This broad perspective is of prognostic importance and encourages clinicians to adjust the treatment focus to meet the evolving needs of their patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper catalogs previous articles in American Biology Teacher on various aspects of teaching about science misinformation and identifies which of the core concepts are addressed in each. A concise overview of relevant themes is provided, along with how the concepts align with the Next Generation Science Standards. This may serve as a practical guide for organizing and planning science media literacy education, to help students negotiate the growing flood of misinformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digital landscape has disrupted the stability of connection to past knowledge built around the bibliographic reference system, introducing phenomena like reference rot and the disappearance or manipulation of online sources. The paper explores the challenges posed by the digital age to the verifiability and fixity of texts, highlighting the volatility of digital information and the risks associated with unverifiable and fluid online content. It discusses the impact of these challenges on scholarly communication, the dissemination of poor-quality science through predatory and problematic journals, and the proliferation of misinformation. Possible solutions to address these issues are presented, emphasizing that media and information education are crucial in equipping individuals with the skills to evaluate and trust sources effectively. Ultimately, the paper argues for a concerted effort to adapt traditional principles of reference and verification to the digital environment, ensuring that the knowledge we rely on remains durable, reliable, and accessible for future generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACTBackground: Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) describes chronic disturbances in self-organization (i.e. affect dysregulation; negative self-concept; severe difficulties in relationships) which are frequently observed in survivors of prolonged, repeated or multiple traumatic stressors. So far, evidence of psychodynamic treatment approaches for CPTSD is scarce.Methods: In this single-centre observational pilot study, symptom change during a 6-week psychodynamic inpatient treatment in a multimodal psychosomatic rehabilitation centre was evaluated using repeated measures analyses of variance (ANOVAs). Patients completed questionnaires on PTSD and CPTSD symptoms (ITQ), anxiety, depression and somatization (BSI-18), functional impairment (WHODAS) and epistemic trust, mistrust and credulity (ETMCQ) before (T1) and at the end of treatment (T2). A hierarchical linear regression analysis was calculated to identify factors associated with improved CPTSD symptoms.Results: A total of n = 50 patients with CPTSD were included in the study, of whom n = 40 (80%) completed treatment. Patients reported a significant reduction of CPTSD symptoms during treatment with a large effect size (−3.9 points; p

Research has shown that by age 5–6 years, children fully integrate information about agents' mental states into their verbal moral judgments: When asked to say whether an agent is morally good or bad, they rely on the agent's intentions more than on its action's outcomes. Research has also shown that from an early age, children use a plethora of social and moral cues when deciding whom to trust in learning and testimony situations. Here, for the first time, we asked if and how children's trust in informants who relay information about the moral character of a novel agent is influenced by the valence of the intentions underlying the informants' prior actions. Italian children aged 6 to 10 years (n = 219, 112 female) were first presented with two puppets and asked to judge them. One puppet accidentally caused harm (neutral intention, negative outcome), the other attempted but failed to do so (negative intention, neutral outcome). Next, the puppets gave contrasting testimonies about whether a novel agent was good or bad. Findings revealed that the tendency to trust the assessment of the well-intentioned puppet concerning the novel agent emerged at age 8, whereas younger children simply showed to believe that the novel agent was good, regardless of the testimonies they received. These results suggest that despite the ability to generate intent-based moral judgments emerges at age 5–6, the tendency to rely on intentions underlying past actions of informants when assessing informants' testimonies about the moral character of a third party undergoes significant change in childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Childhood adversity is a well-established risk factor for adolescent acting-out behaviors such as self-harm, bingeing, substance abuse, and aggressive behavior. From a mentalizing perspective, acting-out behaviors are understood as resulting from a combination of impairments in mentalizing and epistemic vigilance that are a consequence of childhood adversity. Yet, few studies have investigated these assumptions. The current study investigated the potential mediating role of mentalizing impairments and epistemic vigilance in the relationship between childhood adversity and acting-out behaviors in adolescents, oversampled for risk status for psychopathology (N = 451, mean age = 15.40 years). Structural equation modeling showed a strong, direct relationship between childhood adversity and acting-out behaviors, confirming the importance of traumatic childhood experiences for adolescent acting-out behaviors. This relationship was partially mediated by both mentalizing difficulties and epistemic vigilance, explaining about 40% of the total variance. These results support the importance of focusing on strengthening mentalizing abilities and lowering epistemic hypervigilance in psychotherapeutic work with adolescents who have experienced childhood trauma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When deciding whether to trust someone's claims, how do children combine—over multiple interactions—information about that person's general behavioral tendencies (traits) with that person's ongoing (and changing) rate of providing accurate claims? Children aged 4–8 played 11 rounds of a find-the-sticker game. For each round, an informant looked into two cups and made a claim about which cup held a sticker. Children guessed the sticker's location and the sticker's actual location was revealed. Prior to the game, children received information that the informant was either honest or dishonest. In Study 1 (N = 201, 105 female, 96 male), the informant provided inaccurate information on the first five trials and then provided accurate information for the remaining trials (55% overall accuracy). In Study 2 (N = 144, 89 female, 55 male), the informant produced a less predictable pattern of (in)accuracy, but remained 55% accurate overall. The trait information children initially received about the informant's honesty strongly influenced their epistemic trust when they lacked additional information about the informant's reliability (the earliest trials). When children's first-hand experiences with the informant prevented them from making strong predictions about the informant's future behavior, only children approximately 7 years and older utilized trait information to guide their epistemic trust. These results demonstrate some similarities in children's causal reasoning about the physical world and their social reasoning. The results also demonstrate developmental patterns in how children weigh different types of social information at different junctures in social interaction. Public Significance Statement: When deciding whether to trust what someone told them, 4-year-olds relied on information about an informant's traits (honesty/dishonesty) when they had limited first-hand experience with that informant. By 7 years, children also relied on trait information when a person's future behavior was more nuanced or inconsistent with past behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with posttraumatic and complex posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in adulthood (PTSD/cPTSD), as well as reduced epistemic trust (trust in the authenticity and personal relevance of interpersonally transmitted information) and impaired personality functioning. The present work aims to investigate the predictive value of epistemic trust--the capacity for social learning--on the mediating effect of personality functioning in the association of ACEs and PTSD/cPTSD. Methods: We conducted structural equation modeling (SEM) based on representative data of the German population (N = 2,004). Personality functioning (OPD-SQS) was applied as a mediator between ACEs and PTSD/cPTSD (ITQ), while epistemic trust (ETMCQ) was added as predictor for OPD-SQS. TLI, CFI, and RMSEA (95%-CI) determined the models' fit. Results: N = 477 (23.8%) participants reported at least one ACE and n = 218 (10.9%) reported ≥4 ACEs. Fit indices were good for both PTSD (TLI = 0.96; CFI = 0.99; RMSEA = 0.06; 95%CI: 0.041-0.078) and cPTSD (TLI = 0.96; CFI = 0.99; RMSEA = 0.06; 95%CI: 0.043-0.081). ACEs were significantly associated with cPTSD (b = 0.44, p < 0.001) and PTSD (b = 0.29, p < 0.001), explaining 20 and 8% of its variance. Adding personality functioning as a mediator increased the explained variance of cPTSD and PTSD to 47 and 19% while the direct association between ACEs and cPTSD/PTSD decreased (b = 0.21/b = 0.17), thus, indicating a partial mediation. Including epistemic trust substantially increased the explained variance for personality functioning (41%) compared to ACEs as a single predictor (16%). Conclusion: We add to previous research emphasizing the association between ACEs and PTSD/cPTSD symptoms. Offering insights on underlying mechanisms, we show that epistemic trust and personality functioning are relevant mediators. Since both are modifiable by psychotherapy, knowledge about the role of these constructs can inform research on psychotherapeutic interventions and prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) is a severely debilitating recently added symptom cluster in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). So far, only limited information on mental health treatment-uptake and -satisfaction of individuals with CPTSD is available. The aim of this study is to investigate these aspects in a representative sample of the German general population. Methods: Participants completed the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) to identify participants with CPTSD, as well as questionnaires on mental health treatment uptake and satisfaction, adverse childhood experiences, anxiety, depression, working ability, personality functioning, and epistemic trust. Results: Of the included n = 1918 participants, n = 29 (1.5%) fulfilled the criteria for CPTSD. Participants with CPTSD had received mental health treatment significantly more often than participants with PTSD or depression (65.5% vs. 58.8% vs. 31.6%; p = 0.031) but reported significantly less symptom improvement (52.9% vs. 78.0% vs. 80.0%; p = 0.008). Lower levels of epistemic trust were associated with higher CPTSD symptoms (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Our study shows that while the vast majority of individuals with CPTSD had received mental health treatment, subjective symptom improvement rates are not satisfactory. CPTSD was associated with a broad number of comorbidities and impairments in functioning. Lower levels of epistemic trust may partially explain worse treatment outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates how scientific knowledge is politicized on Twitter. Identifying discursive modes of online politicization and analyzing how they relate to different online issue publics allows us to weigh in on the scholarly debate about when the politicization of science on social media becomes problematic in a democratic context. This is a complicated question in "knowledge societies" where increasing science–politics confluence means that some degree of politicization is necessary for science–informed policymaking and (online) public debate. We look at how pandemic science was politicized through becoming discursively linked with an already highly politicized science issue on Twitter, namely, climate change. Our mixed-methods analysis demonstrates that some politicizations of science seek to contest science-informed policy while others are better characterized as ideological science rejection. We argue for the advantages of this approach of identifying science rejection over approaches that seek to distinguish information from dis-/misinformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigates the association between Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and Problematic Internet Use (PIU) in a sample of 358 cisgender emerging adults (74.58% females assigned at birth; Mage = 25.02, SD = 2.60; age range: 18–29 years), with a specific focus on the roles of various stances of Epistemic Trust, including Trust, Mistrust, and Credulity. The aim is to explore the complexities of these relationships and their implications for the psychological well-being of this population. We computed a mediation model to examine the relationships among PIU as the dependent variable, FoMO as the predictor, and Epistemic Trust, Mistrust, and Credulity as the mediating factors. Covariates such as age, gender, and sexual orientation were also considered in the analysis. The results revealed significant indirect effects for both Mistrust and Credulity. Specifically, higher levels of FoMO were associated with increased Mistrust and Credulity, leading to greater PIU. In contrast, the indirect effect of Trust was not significant. Also, FoMO had a direct effect on PIU. The results highlight the importance of considering Mistrust and Credulity as potential risk factors for Internet addiction in emerging adults. These findings have practical implications for clinical practice, psychological assessment, and intervention strategies, emphasizing the need to address FoMO and its associated vulnerabilities within different therapeutic settings. By doing so, mental health professionals can better support the psychological well-being of emerging adults and assist them in navigating the challenges inherent to this crucial developmental stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study is to examine young children's (4- to 8-year-old) selective trust decisions in two different data sets; one was for interpersonal trust decision and the other was for epistemic trust decision. Children encountered with two assistants one provided them testimony about who trustworthy they are and the other assistant displayed trustworthy action while child was witnessing. Children in interpersonal trust study responded to three interpersonal trust questions. Children in epistemic trust study responded three ask questions. Findings showed that for interpersonal and epistemic trust decision young children did not differentiate between testimony and action. This tendency did not change with age and children's socio-economic status. The study pointed that young children in Şanlıurfa did not consider action as a more valuable evidence for trustworthiness compared to testimony. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Epistemic trust, or trust in transmitted knowledge, has been proposed as a critical factor in psychopathology and psychotherapy. This study aimed at evaluating the psychometric properties of the Epistemic Trust, Mistrust, and Credulity Questionnaire (ETMCQ) in Iran. Method: Data were collected from 906 participants. Along with the ETMCQ, measures of mentalizing, mindfulness, perspective‐taking, attachment, emotion dysregulation, and borderline personality disorder were administered. Confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) were used to determine factorial structure. Results: The ESEM model showed an acceptable fit and outperformed the confirmatory model. A 14‐item version of the ETMCQ was retained after examining item performance. Our findings also established criterion‐related validity for mistrust and credulity, an acceptable internal consistency for credulity, discriminant power for mistrust and credulity in detecting positive screens for borderline personality disorder, and measurement invariance across sexes. Conclusion: This study provides evidence for the cross‐cultural applicability of the ETMCQ. Nonetheless, the validity of the trust and internal consistency of the mistrust subscale require particular attention in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is epistemic self-trust? There is a tension in the way in which prominent accounts answer this question. Many construe epistemic trust in oneself as no more than reliance on our sub-personal cognitive faculties. Yet many accounts – often the same ones – construe epistemic trust in others as a normatively laden attitude directed at persons whom we expect to care about our epistemic needs. Is epistemic self-trust really so different from epistemic trust in others? I argue that it is not. We certainly do rely on our cognitive faculties to achieve epistemic ends; but I argue that we also have the normatively rich sort of epistemic trust in ourselves. Moreover, there is a theoretical need for this normatively rich notion of epistemic self-trust: positing it yields the best account of how we secure important epistemic goods, including knowledge and recognition as knowers. I argue this by giving an account of epistemic trust in others and showing that it can be generalized to epistemic trust in oneself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how science advice can provide policy recommendations in a trustworthy manner. Despite their major political importance, expert recommendations are understudied in the philosophy of science and social epistemology. Matthew Bennett has recently developed a notion of what he calls recommendation trust, according to which well-placed trust in experts' policy recommendations requires that recommendations are aligned with the interests of the trust-giver. While interest alignment might be central to some cases of public trust, this paper argues against the significance of interest-alignment to meritorious public trust. First, political bodies and citizens can have a basic kind of well-placed recommendation trust in science advice based on an all-things-considered judgement regarding the possession of relevant competencies, responsible conduct, and a proper institutional design. Moreover, scientists' policy recommendations can be seen as open-ended and as dynamic proposals that enable inter-institutional reasoning and political deliberation. Finally, by providing conditional recommendations, scientists can expand the scope of feasible policy options from which political bodies can choose, thus making the condition of interest alignment even less significant to the trustworthy provision of recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reductionism about testimony has become less popular as philosophers have uncovered our epistemic dependence on others. Meanwhile, both non-reductionism and the interpersonal view face a challenge from gullibility. Surprisingly, the concept of gullibility has not been sustainedly examined. The primary goal in this paper is to propose an analysis of gullibility. After some introductory remarks, we begin this paper by discussing an account of gullibility in terms of insensitivity to defeaters. We argue that this account cannot accommodate cases where agents are gullible. We, therefore, offer a dispositional account of gullibility. In so doing, we show how gullibility differs from other epistemic vices vis-à-vis its interpersonal features. We also discuss how treating gullibility as an intellectual vice has salient implications for the debate between reductionists and non-reductionists about gullibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trust certification through so-called trust seals is a common strategy to help users ascertain the trustworthiness of a system. In this study, we examined trust seals for AI systems from two perspectives: (1) In a pre-registered online study participants, we asked whether trust seals can increase user trust in AI systems, and (2) qualitatively, we investigated what participants expect from such AI seals of trust. Our results indicate mixed support for the use of AI seals. While trust seals generally did not affect the participants’ trust, their trust in the AI system increased if they trusted the seal-issuing institution. Moreover, although participants understood verification seals the least, they desired verifications of the AI system the most.

Abstract Background The prevalence of anxiety and depression disorders is surging worldwide, prompting a pressing demand for psychological interventions, especially in less severe cases. Responding to this need, the Italian government implemented the “Psychological Bonus” (PB) policy, allotting 25 million euros for mental health support. This policy entitles individuals to a minimum of four to twelve psychological sessions. In collaboration with the National Board of Italian Psychologists, our study assesses this policy’s effectiveness. Indeed, the PsyCARE study aims to examine the utilization of the Psychological Bonus, evaluate its impact on adult and adolescent participants’ psychological well-being through pre- and post-intervention assessments and six-month follow-up, and conduct a longitudinal cost-effectiveness analysis of this policy. A secondary aim is to investigate the influence of these interventions on transdiagnostic factors, including emotion regulation and epistemic trust. Methods The study involves licensed psychotherapists and their patients, both adults and adolescents, benefiting from the Psychological Bonus. Data collection is underway and set to conclude in December 2023. Psychotherapists will provide diagnostic information and assess patient functioning. In addition, patients will be evaluated on mental health aspects such as clinical symptoms, emotion regulation, epistemic trust, and quality of life. We will employ linear mixed-effects models to analyze the outcomes, accounting for both fixed and random effects to capture the hierarchical structure of the data. Discussion We anticipate the study’s findings will highlight reduced psychological distress and improved quality of life for participants and demonstrate the Psychological Bonus policy’s cost-effectiveness. The study will gather data on the role of specific versus nonspecific therapeutic factors in psychotherapy while adopting a patient-tailored approach to identify effective therapeutic elements and examine transdiagnostic factors. Overall, this study’s findings will guide future measures within the Italian healthcare system, fostering a psychological health culture and providing valuable insights to the broader public. Study registration https://osf.io/6zk2j

Epistemic trust can be defined as the ability to rely on social and cultural information from others. It allows to integrate the new knowledge in the vision of self and world, promoting the learning from experience. Recently, the issue of epistemic trust is gaining growing interest in literature thanks to the recognition of the significant implications that it may have for treatment effectiveness but not only, as evidenced by the extension of it field of research and application to different contexts and psychopathological conditions. However, this makes it increasingly difficult to identify a unique relational dynamic between epistemic trust, attachment and mentalization. In addition, this issue is still predominantly addressed on the theoretical level, while empirical studies are still scarce, and this allows each researcher to make a different hypothesis. Therefore, this systematic review aims at exploring the role of epistemic trust in the relationship between attachment and mentalization, looking also at factors able to affect this bond. The keywords were the following: “mentalization”, “attachment” and “epistemic trust” and its dimensions and dysfunction. Articles were included if they explicitly focused on the relationship between attachment, mentalization and epistemic trust, and if they were research articles. Studies were excluded if they addressed only one or two of the three constructs, and if they were theoretical articles, opinion articles, commentary, book chapters and interviews. Results predominantly showed a relation of interdependence between these variables, although from studies that empirically investigated this topic an interesting, contrasting datum emerges: there seems to be a relationship of interdependence only between mentalization and epistemic mistrust or credulity, but not between mentalization and epistemic trust. These findings highlight the need to empirically deepen the link between these three variables and suggest therapists to pay attention not only to the creation of a secure therapeutic relationship and the improvement of mentalizing abilities, but also to clients’ epistemic trust, especially to its disrupted forms.

This commentary reviews the Journal of Personality Disorders special issue "Interpersonal Trust and Borderline Personality Disorder: Insights From Clinical Practice and Research," published in Volume 37, Number 5, October 2023. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If contextual values can play necessary and beneficial roles in scientific research, to what extent should science communicators be transparent about such values? This question is particularly pressing in contexts where there appears to be significant resistance among some non-experts to accept certain scientific claims or adopt science-based policies or recommendations. This paper examines whether value transparency can help promote non-experts’ warranted epistemic trust of experts. I argue that there is a prima facie case in favor of transparency because it can promote four conditions that are thought to be required for epistemic trustworthiness. I then consider three main arguments that transparency about values is likely to be ineffective in promoting such trust (and may undermine it). This analysis shows that while these arguments show that value transparency is not sufficient for promoting epistemic trust, they fail to show that rejecting value transparency as a norm for science communicators is more likely to promote warranted epistemic trust than a qualified norm of value transparency (along with other strategies). Finally, I endorse a tempered understanding of value transparency and consider what this might require in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated whether youth essentialize religiosity considering religious informants as more trustworthy. Participants (N = 181) from three age groups (preadolescents, early adolescents and young adults) were presented with vignettes and asked which informant the protagonist should trust. One protagonist was introduced as religious. Results showed that youth's essentialism for religiosity is limited, but those with proximity to religion preferred advice from a Priest over an expert. This suggests that youth's essentialism for the trustworthiness of religiosity may be limited to religious leaders and is present only among those close to religion. Participants also tended to trust the expert rather than the Priest and the informant whose advice aligned with their own preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epistemic trust (ET) refers to the predisposition to trust information as authentic, trustworthy and relevant to the self. Epistemic distrust – resulting from early adversity – may interfere with openness to social learning within the therapeutic encounter, reducing the ability to benefit from treatment. The self‐report Questionnaire Epistemic Trust (QET) is a newly developed instrument that aims to assess ET. This study presents the first results on the psychometric properties of the QET in both a community and a clinical sample. Our findings indicate that the QET is composed of four meaningful subscales with good to excellent internal consistency. The QET shows relevant associations with related constructs like personality functioning, symptom distress and quality of life. QET scores clearly distinguish between a clinical and community sample and are associated with the quality of the therapeutic alliance. The QET provides a promising, brief and user‐friendly instrument that could be used for a range of clinical and research purposes. Future studies with larger samples are needed to strengthen construct validity and to investigate the value of the QET to predict differential treatment responses or to study mechanisms of change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge about critical success factors underpinning beneficial treatment outcomes in psychosomatic inpatient rehabilitation is scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of patients' epistemic stance in relation to the improvement of psychological distress during rehabilitation. In this naturalistic longitudinal observational study, n = 771 patients completed routine assessments for psychological distress (BSI-18), health-related quality of life (HRQOL; WHODAS), and epistemic trust (ETMCQ) before (T1) and after (T2) psychosomatic rehabilitation. Patients were grouped as best, average, and worst responders based on their mean BSI-18 changes during treatment, and their mean change in epistemic trust, mistrust, and credulity was compared using repeated measures analyses of variance (rANOVAs). No associations of performance with sex (p = 0.09), age (p = 0.11), or relationship status (p = 0.58) were found. Best responders reported significantly improved epistemic trust (p = 0.001) and reduced epistemic mistrust (p < 0.001), whereas worst responders reported a significant increase in epistemic mistrust (p < 0.001) and credulity (p < 0.001). Average responders did not change for either epistemic trust (p = 0.11), mistrust (p > 0.99), or credulity (p = 0.96). Our results underscore the role of the epistemic stance in psychosomatic and psychotherapeutic treatments. These results help to better understand what might determine psychosomatic rehabilitation outcomes and indicate the role of epistemic trust as a critical success factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overconfidence is typically damaging to one's reputation as a trustworthy source of information. Previous research shows that the reputational cost associated with conveying a piece of false information is higher for confident than unconfident speakers. When judging speaker trustworthiness, individuals do not exclusively rely on past accuracy but consider the extent to which speakers expressed a degree of confidence that matched the accuracy of their claims (their "confidence-accuracy calibration"). The present study experimentally examines the interplay between confidence, accuracy and a third factor, namely evidence, in the assessment of speaker trustworthiness. Experiment 1 probes the hypothesis that overconfidence does not backfire when a confident but inaccurate claim is justified: the trustworthiness of a confident speaker who turns out to be wrong is restored if the confidence expressed is based on strong evidence (good confidence-evidence calibration). Experiment 2 investigates the hypothesis that confidence can backfire if a confident and accurate claim is not justified: the trustworthiness of a confident speaker who turns out to be right is damaged if the confidence expressed is based on weak evidence (bad confidence-evidence calibration). Our results support both hypotheses and thus suggest that "confidence-evidence calibration" plays a crucial role in the assessment of speaker trustworthiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Trust certification through so-called trust seals is a common strategy to help users ascertain the trustworthiness of a system. In this study, we examined trust seals for AI systems from two perspectives: (1) In a pre-registered online study with N = 453 participants, we asked whether trust seals can increase user trust in AI systems, and (2) qualitatively, we investigated what participants expect from such AI seals of trust. Our results indicate mixed support for the use of AI seals. While trust seals generally did not affect the participants' trust, their trust in the AI system increased if they trusted the seal-issuing institution. Moreover, although participants understood verification seals the least, they desired verifications of the AI system the most. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]