Why do some individuals maintain good mental health despite considerable trauma, whereas others do not? Framing resilience as an outcome rather than a fixed trait, this study examines mentalizing—the capacity to interpret one’s own and others’ mental states—as a resilience mechanism within dimensional and network models of psychopathology. Using a cross-sectional sample (N = 2,374) drawn from clinical, forensic, and community settings, we examine how mentalizing shapes the relationship between interpersonal stress and psychological functioning. 

Results indicate that chronic interpersonal stress is associated with reduced capacity to mentalize, which translates into worse-than-expected mental health outcomes above and beyond individual differences in trauma exposure—particularly when interpersonal styles are hostile/dysregulated. On a structural level, mentalizing impairments are associated with changes in symptom network configurations, in which aggression and self-harm are central. These findings provide a transdiagnostic and comprehensive account of mentalizing as a resilience mechanism, integrate mentalization theory with dimensional and network approaches, and inform prevention and intervention strategies for trauma-exposed populations.