Scale Analysis

The Reflective Functioning Questionnaire – Brief (RFQ-8) is a brief self-report measure derived from the RFQ-54 and developed by Fonagy and colleagues in 2016. It was designed to assess individual differences in reflective functioning, particularly patterns related to hypomentalizing and hypermentalizing.

Reflective functioning refers to the individual’s capacity to understand and interpret behavior in terms of underlying mental states, such as thoughts, emotions, intentions, wishes, and beliefs. The RFQ-8 provides a concise way of assessing how individuals understand both their own internal states and those of other people.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the RFQ-8 is to evaluate the individual’s ability to adequately interpret mental states in both the self and others, that is, reflective functioning or mentalizing.

The questionnaire can therefore be used to investigate whether individuals show difficulties characterized by excessive uncertainty about mental states or, conversely, excessive certainty about what they or other people think and feel.

Structure and Subscales

The RFQ-8 consists of 8 items. Participants indicate the degree to which they agree with each statement concerning their thoughts and feelings using a 7-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 = Strongly Disagree to 7 = Strongly Agree.

The instrument includes two main subscales:

  • RFQ-U – Uncertainty about Mental States: assesses uncertainty concerning the interpretation and understanding of mental states.
  • RFQ-C – Certainty about Mental States: assesses the degree of certainty individuals express regarding their understanding of their own and others’ mental states.

These two dimensions are intended to capture different patterns of mentalizing and provide a concise assessment of reflective functioning.

Scoring and Statistical Analysis

According to the available source material, the RFQ-8 produces a total score with a theoretical range from 8 to 56. Higher scores are described as reflecting greater uncertainty and a lack of knowledge concerning mental states, whereas lower scores characterized by more neutral responses are associated with recognition of the opacity of mental states.

The scores may be used to compare groups, investigate associations with other psychological variables, and examine changes across time or following psychological interventions.

When the RFQ-8 is used in research, the scoring method associated with the specific version of the instrument should be followed carefully, particularly when interpreting the RFQ-U and RFQ-C subscales.

Validity and Reliability

According to the source material, the RFQ-8 subscales demonstrated good internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha values of approximately 0.70. In repeated assessment, internal consistency coefficients of α = 0.84 for the RFQ-U and α = 0.75 for the RFQ-C were reported.

The questionnaire has also been translated into Greek using a back-translation procedure and adapted to a Greek sample by Pomini and Gournellis. According to the available material, the Greek version demonstrated satisfactory indications of face validity and reliability.

Applications

The RFQ-8 may be used in clinical psychology, psychiatry, psychotherapy research, and personality research, particularly in studies focusing on mentalizing and reflective functioning.

It can also be employed to explore associations between reflective functioning and variables such as emotional regulation, interpersonal relationships, attachment, and other aspects of psychological functioning.

Because of its brief format, the RFQ-8 can be particularly useful in research protocols that include multiple psychometric instruments or in situations where reducing participant burden is important.

The RFQ-8 should not be used as a stand-alone diagnostic instrument. Its scores are best interpreted within the broader clinical or research context and in accordance with the scoring procedures of the version being used.

Author

P. Fonagy and colleagues (2016).

Reference

Fonagy, P., Luyten, P., Moulton-Perkins, A., Lee, Y. W., Warren, F., Howard, S., Ghinai, R., Fearon, P., & Lowyck, B. (2016). Development and validation of a self-report measure of mentalizing: The Reflective Functioning Questionnaire. PLoS ONE, 11(7), e0158678.