scholarly journals Personal Agency in Borderline Personality Disorder: The Impact of Adult Attachment Style

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Talia Hashworth ◽  
Samantha Reis ◽  
Brin F. S. Grenyer
Keyword(s):  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Attachment Style ◽  
Adult Attachment ◽  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Personal Agency ◽  
Adult Attachment Style ◽  
Adult Attachment Styles ◽  
The Impact

BackgroundPersonal agency- the degree to which one believes they have control over their life- is thought to influence how people understand their interpersonal relationships. Links between adult attachment and personal agency are theoretically relevant to the experience of borderline personality disorder (BPD) but this has yet to be empirically examined. The present research examines the impact of personal agency and adult attachment styles for individuals meeting criteria for BPD.MethodsParticipants consented to an online community study examining measures of locus of control (as an index of personal agency), BPD, and adult attachment. Participants meeting criteria for BPD (N = 96; mean age = 30.63; 70.5% female) were compared to age-matched healthy controls (N = 96; mean age = M = 31.99; 89.0% female).ResultsIndividuals who met criteria for BPD displayed lower personal agency and higher fearful and preoccupied attachment styles in their close relationships, compared to Controls. Controls reported greater personal agency and were more securely attached in their relationships. Using multiple mediation modeling, the indirect effect of personal agency on BPD was significant for preoccupied, fearful, and secure attachment, but was non-significant for dismissive attachment. Lower personal agency was associated with insecure adult attachment styles.ConclusionsFindings highlight the previously unexplored relationship between BPD and personal agency and indicate that adult attachment style plays a significant role. Low personal agency may increase challenges for individuals with symptoms of BPD by exacerbating relationship difficulties. People in treatment for BPD may benefit from focusing on both relationship insecurity and its impact on their perceived personal control.

Family Environment and Adult Attachment as Predictors of Psychopathology and Personality Dysfunction Among Inpatient Abuse Survivors

2007 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 577-600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelley A. Riggs ◽  
Gayla Sahl ◽  
Ellen Greenwald ◽  
Heather Atkison ◽  
Adrienne Paulson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Attachment Style ◽  
Family Environment ◽  
Adult Attachment ◽  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Abuse Survivors ◽  
Adult Attachment Style ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Adult Attachment Styles

The current study explored the role of early family environment and adult attachment style in explaining long-term outcomes among child abuse survivors. Adult patients (N = 80) in a trauma treatment program were assessed for clinical diagnosis and administered a multiscale questionnaire. Hierarchical regression analyses were significant for dissociative identity disorder (DID), substance abuse, anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress, somatization, and six personality disorder dimensions. Adult attachment styles were significant predictors of most outcome variables. Of particular note was the strong contribution of attachment avoidance to DID. Five family environment scales (Independence, Organization, Control, Conflict, Expressiveness) also contributed to various psychopathological outcomes. Evidence emerged supporting a mediating role for attachment style in the link between family independence and five personality disorder dimensions.

Characterizing Couple Dysfunction in Borderline Personality Disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-198
Author(s):  
Annemarie Miano ◽  
Isabel Dziobek ◽  
Stefan Roepke
Keyword(s):  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Attachment Style ◽  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Relationship Functioning

Relationship dysfunction is a key criterion of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Nevertheless, little is known about the characteristics of romantic relationship functioning in BPD. In this study, couples in which the women were diagnosed with BPD (BPD couples) and healthy control couples (HC) were compared in their perceived relationship characteristics (e.g., relationship quality) and interpersonal experience variables (e.g., attachment). The hypothesis was tested that insecure attachment styles account for group differences in relationship characteristics. Variables were measured by self-report. Romantic relationships were appraised as more negative and conflictual by both members of BPD couples compared to HC. The perception of women with BPD was often more negative than that of their male partners, indicating potential biases in BPD patients' relationship evaluation. Insecure attachment styles only partially explained group differences in relationship characteristics, showing that attachment style is one, but not the only predictor of decreased relationship functioning in BPD couples.

Differential Change of Borderline Personality Disorder Traits During Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adolescents

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arne Buerger ◽  
Gloria Fischer-Waldschmidt ◽  
Florian Hammerle ◽  
Kristin von Auer ◽  
Peter Parzer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Behavior Therapy ◽  
Dialectical Behavior Therapy ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Secondary Outcomes ◽  
The Impact

Despite the expansion of treatment options for adults with borderline personality disorder (BPD), research on treatment options for adolescent BPD is scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of dialectical behavior therapy for adolescents (DBT-A) on the individual trait level as primary outcome; and the frequency of suicide attempts and nonsuicidal self-injury, self-reported BPD core pathology, and general psychopathology as secondary outcomes. Seventy-two adolescents (aged 12–17 years) with full- or subsyndromal BPD were treated with DBT-A (25 single sessions, 20 sessions of skills training), and 13 patients (18.1%) withdrew during treatment. From baseline to post-treatment, the number of BPD traits decreased significantly (p ≤ .001). All secondary outcomes decreased significantly as well (p ≤ .001). Results of this uncontrolled study suggest that beside self-harm, DBT-A may also have a beneficial impact on other features of BPD.

Neuropsychological function in bulimia with comorbid borderline personality disorder and depression

2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 162-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia M. Bourke ◽  
Richard J. Porter ◽  
Patrick Sullivan ◽  
Cynthia M. Bulik ◽  
Frances A. Carter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Executive Function ◽  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Neuropsychological Tests ◽  
Neuropsychological Test ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Neuropsychological Function ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Trail Making ◽  
The Impact

Background:In bulimia nervosa (BN), borderline personality disorder (BPD) and major depression (MDD) are frequently comorbid conditions. Executive function has been found to be impaired in BPD and MDD, but the impact of comorbidity on neuropsychological function has rarely been investigated.Objective:To investigate neuropsychological function in BN with a focus on comorbid BPD and MDD.Methods:One hundred forty-four medication-free female patients entering a study of psychological treatments for BN performed a brief battery of neuropsychological tests. Comorbid MDD and BPD were systematically identified using standard interviews. Neuropsychological test results were compared.Results:Forty-one subjects had comorbid BPD and 35 had comorbid MDD, while 15 had both. There was no effect of comorbid MDD, but there was a significant effect of BPD and a significant interaction between the diagnosis of MDD and BPD on executive tasks (trail making and Stroop). Thus, compared with subjects without BPD, subjects with BPD performed significantly worse on tests of executive function, while the group with both comorbidities performed even worse.Conclusions:There appears to be an additive effect of BPD and MDD resulting in impaired executive neuropsychological function. Future studies on either disorder and on BN should examine and account for the effect of comorbidity.

Impact of Childhood Maltreatment in Borderline Personality Disorder on Treatment Response to Intensive Dialectical Behavior Therapy

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Euler ◽  
Esther Stalujanis ◽  
Hannah J. Lindenmeyer ◽  
Rosetta Nicastro ◽  
Ueli Kramer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Treatment Response ◽  
Behavior Therapy ◽  
Dialectical Behavior Therapy ◽  
Childhood Maltreatment ◽  
Emotional Abuse ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
The Impact

Childhood maltreatment (CM), including emotional, physical, and sexual abuse and emotional and physical neglect, is associated with severity of borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, knowledge on the impact of CM on treatment response is scarce. The authors investigated whether self-reported CM or one of its subtypes affected treatment retention, depressive symptoms, and impulsivity throughout short-term intensive dialectical behavior therapy (I-DBT) in 333 patients with BPD. Data were analyzed with linear and logistic regressions and linear mixed models, using a Bayesian approach. Patients who reported childhood emotional abuse had a higher dropout rate, whereas it was lower in patients who reported childhood emotional neglect. Emotional neglect predicted a greater decrease of depressive symptoms, and global CM predicted a greater decrease of impulsivity. The authors concluded that patients with BPD who experienced CM might benefit from I-DBT in specific symptom domains. Nonetheless, the impact of emotional abuse on higher dropout needs to be considered.

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