scholarly journals Is It Personal? Context Moderates BPD Effects on Spontaneous Rumination and Distress

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Skye Napolitano ◽  
Ilya Yaroslavsky ◽  
Christopher M. France
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Emotion Dysregulation ◽  
Mood Induction ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Personal Context ◽  
Interpersonal Situations ◽  
Experience Emotion

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is associated with the use of maladaptive emotion regulation (ER) that predicts unstable interpersonal relationships and emotion dysregulation. Rumination, a maladaptive cognitive ER response, may be one mechanism by which those with BPD experience emotion dysregulation. However, it remains unclear whether emotion dysregulation is linked to rumination in general, or to rumination during interpersonal situations that often prove challenging for those with BPD. The present study examined whether interpersonal exclusion conferred an increased risk to spontaneously ruminate among those with elevated BPD features relative to an impersonal negative mood induction, and whether spontaneous rumination mediated the effects of BPD features on distress reactivity. Overall, BPD features predicted stronger tendencies to spontaneously ruminate and higher levels of distress following interpersonal exclusion; spontaneous rumination following interpersonal exclusion mediated the effects of BPD features on distress. These findings highlight the importance of context when examining ER outcomes.

scholarly journals Which Emotion Regulation Strategies are Most Associated with Trait Emotion Dysregulation? A Transdiagnostic Examination

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander R. Daros ◽  
Anthony C. Ruocco
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Emotion Dysregulation ◽  
Mood Induction ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Strategy Use ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Suboptimal Strategies

Although definitions of emotion dysregulation infer difficulties in selecting and implementing emotion regulation (ER) strategies, surprisingly few studies have examined the relationship between trait emotion dysregulation and a wide range of specific ER strategies. The present study used a data-driven approach to assess trait- and state-related ER strategy use in 99 women (aged 18-55) recruited from the community with varying levels of trait emotion dysregulation. Participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing habitual ER strategy implementation and self-ratings of ER strategy use in vivo during negative mood inductions. Principal components analysis revealed four self-report questionnaire-based and three mood-induction-based groupings comprising both optimal and suboptimal strategies. After adjusting for demographic and clinical variables, results from self-report questionnaires indicated that trait emotion dysregulation was significantly associated with higher endorsements of suboptimal strategies in two groupings (e.g., self-criticism, rumination, and social withdrawal; catastrophizing and blaming others) and lower endorsements of optimal ER strategies in one grouping (e.g., cognitive reappraisal and problem solving). In the context of mood induction, trait emotion dysregulation was significantly associated with higher endorsements of suboptimal ER strategies from one cluster only (e.g., expressive suppression, thought avoidance, and self-criticism). Such transdiagnostic, data-driven approaches can uncover how the application of specific ER strategies both habitually and during negative mood states is associated with trait emotion dysregulation.

Interpersonal Processes and the Development of Emotion Dysregulation

2018 ◽  
pp. 139-152
Author(s):  
Sarah A. Stoycos ◽  
Geoffrey W. Corner ◽  
Mona Khaled ◽  
Darby Saxbe
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Emotion Dysregulation ◽  
Stress Physiology ◽  
Interpersonal Processes ◽  
Infant Cry ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
Physical Touch ◽  
Parent Child Relationships ◽  
Theoretical Foundations

Emotion regulation and dysregulation often unfold within interpersonal contexts. Parent–child relationships provide early scaffolding of emotion regulation processes. Parents attune to, and influence, their children’s emotions, through pathways such as physical touch, infant cry, facial expressions, and stress physiology. Interpersonal emotion regulation and dysregulation processes continue to evolve within other close relationship contexts such as romantic couple relationships in adulthood. Partners shape each other’s emotion regulation through stress contagion and physiological interconnection, and through interactions that can be conflictual or supportive. This chapter reviews the theoretical foundations and the existing literature describing how emotion regulation and dysregulation take place within interpersonal relationships.

Is borderline personality disorder really an emotion dysregulation disorder and, if so, how? A comprehensive experimental paradigm

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Skye Fitzpatrick ◽  
Sonya Varma ◽  
Janice R. Kuo
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Emotion Dysregulation ◽  
Emotional Reactivity ◽  
Vagal Tone ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Healthy Control ◽  
Emotional Recovery

Abstract Background Leading theories suggest that borderline personality disorder (BPD) is an emotion dysregulation disorder involving lower basal vagal tone, higher baseline emotion, heightened emotional reactivity, delayed emotional recovery, and emotion regulation deficits. However, the literature to date lacks a unifying paradigm that tests all of the main emotion dysregulation components and comprehensively examines whether BPD is an emotion dysregulation disorder and, if so, in what ways. This study addresses the empirical gaps with a unified paradigm that assessed whether BPD is characterized by five leading emotion dysregulation components compared to generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and healthy control (HC) groups. Methods Emotion was assessed across self-report, sympathetic, and parasympathetic indices. Participants with BPD, GAD, and HCs (N = 120) first underwent baseline periods assessing basal vagal tone and baseline emotional intensity, followed by rejection-themed stressors assessing emotional reactivity. Participants then either reacted normally to assess emotional recovery or attempted to decrease emotion using mindfulness or distraction to assess emotion regulation implementation deficits. Results Individuals with BPD and GAD exhibited higher self-reported and sympathetic baseline emotion compared to HCs. The BPD group also exhibited self-reported emotion regulation deficits using distraction only compared to the GAD group. Conclusions There is minimal support for several emotion dysregulation components in BPD, and some components that are present appear to be pervasive across high emotion dysregulation groups rather than specific to BPD. However, BPD may be characterized by problems disengaging from emotion using distraction.

Spontaneous Self-Distancing Mediates the Association Between Working Memory Capacity and Emotion Regulation Success

2020 ◽  
pp. 216770262095363
Author(s):  
T. H. Stanley Seah ◽  
Lindsey M. Matt ◽  
Karin G. Coifman
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Mood Induction ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Treatment Target

Self-distancing is associated with adaptive emotion regulation (ER), thereby making it a common treatment target across psychotherapies. However, less is known about cognitive processes that facilitate self-distancing. Working memory capacity (WMC) has been associated with self-distancing and ER, although research has not directly examined WMC and spontaneous self-distancing activity. Here, we tested the association between WMC and self-distancing (indexed by pronoun use) in relation to ER during a negative-mood induction in college students ( N = 209). Results suggested a mediation model: Higher WMC predicted lower I and greater we pronouns (i.e., greater self-distancing), which in turn predicted lower negative affect. Furthermore, higher WMC predicted greater we pronouns, which predicted higher positive affect. No significant mediation was observed for you. These findings enrich current theoretical models describing WMC and self-distancing in ER and suggest important future research to further elucidate the cognitive processes underlying self-distancing with implications for clinical practice.

scholarly journals Acute Effect of Physical Exercise on Negative Affect in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Pilot Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel St-Amour ◽  
Lionel Cailhol ◽  
Anthony C. Ruocco ◽  
Paquito Bernard
Keyword(s):  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Physical Exercise ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Mood Induction ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Medium Effect ◽  
Single Session

Physical exercise is an evidence-based treatment to reduce symptoms and negative affect in several psychiatric disorders, including depressive, anxiety, and psychotic disorders. However, the effect of physical exercise on negative affect in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) has not yet been investigated. In this pilot study, we tested the safety, acceptability, and potential acute effects on negative affect of a single session of aerobic physical exercise in adults with BPD. After completing a negative mood induction procedure, 28 adults with BPD were randomly assigned to a 20-minute single session of stationary bicycle or a control condition. No adverse effects attributed to the physical exercise were reported and it was considered acceptable to patients. Following the negative mood induction, both conditions decreased the level of negative affects with a medium effect size but there was no significant difference between them. The results suggest that a single 20-minute session of physical exercise does not produce a reduction of negative affect in BPD. Future research should consider the duration and intensities of physical exercise with the greatest potential to reduce negative affect both acutely and in a more prolonged manner in this patient group.

Emotion Regulation as a Mechanism of Change in an Acceptance-Based Emotion Regulation Group Therapy for Deliberate Self-Harm Among Women With Borderline Personality Pathology

2012 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 365-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim L. Gratz ◽  
Roy Levy ◽  
Matthew T. Tull
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Group Therapy ◽  
Emotion Dysregulation ◽  
Clinical Importance ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Deliberate Self Harm ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Empirically Supported ◽  
Self Harm

Despite the clinical importance of deliberate self-harm (DSH) within borderline personality disorder (BPD), there are few empirically supported treatments for this behavior among individuals with BPD; and those that do exist are difficult to implement in many clinical settings. Thus, Gratz and colleagues developed an adjunctive emotion regulation group therapy (ERGT) for women with BPD that directly targets both DSH and its proposed underlying mechanism of emotion dysregulation. Although previous studies support the use of this ERGT in reducing DSH, no studies have examined emotion regulation as a mechanism of change in this treatment. Therefore, this study examined the mediating role of changes in emotion dysregulation in DSH improvement across two separate trials of this ERGT. As hypothesized, changes in emotion dysregulation mediated the observed reductions in DSH frequency. Results provide support for the theoretical model underlying this ERGT and highlight the importance of targeting emotion dysregulation in treatments for DSH.

scholarly journals Interpersonal Problems in Borderline Personality Disorder: Associations with Mentalizing, Emotion Regulation, and Impulsiveness

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Euler ◽  
Tobias Nolte ◽  
Matthew Constantinou ◽  
Julia Griem ◽  
P. Read Montague ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Emotion Dysregulation ◽  
Interpersonal Problems ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Inventory Of Interpersonal Problems ◽  
Difficulties In Emotion Regulation ◽  
Path Models

Interpersonal problems are a core symptom of borderline personality disorder (BPD). This study investigated the relationship between emotion dysregulation, impulsiveness, and impaired mentalizing in the context of predicting interpersonal problems in BPD. A total of 210 patients with BPD completed the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ), and Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP-32). The authors conducted three path models, with either mentalizing, emotion regulation, or impulsiveness as the exogenous variable. Emotion dysregulation and attentional impulsiveness predicted interpersonal problems directly, whereas hypomentalizing predicted interpersonal problems only indirectly throughout emotion dysregulation and attentional impulsiveness. The results suggest that these domains contribute significantly to interpersonal problems in BPD. Moreover, hypomentalizing might affect on interpersonal problems via its effect on impulsiveness and emotion regulation. The authors argue that focusing on emotion regulation and mentalizing in BPD treatments might have interlinked beneficial effects on interpersonal problems.

scholarly journals Body connection mediates the relationship between traumatic childhood experiences and impaired emotion regulation in borderline personality disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marius Schmitz ◽  
Katja Bertsch ◽  
Annette Löffler ◽  
Sylvia Steinmann ◽  
Sabine C. Herpertz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Emotion Dysregulation ◽  
Body Awareness ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
The Body ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background Previous studies revealed an association between traumatic childhood experiences and emotional dysregulation in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, possible mediating pathways are still not fully understood. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential mediating role of body connection, describing the awareness of the relationship of bodily and mental states, for the association between a history of traumatic childhood experiences and BPD core symptomatology. Methods One-hundred-twelve adult female individuals with BPD and 96 healthy female controls (HC) were included. Impaired emotion regulation, traumatic childhood experiences, and BPD symptomatology were assessed with self-report questionnaires. The Scale of Body Connection was used to assess two dimensions of body connection, that is body awareness, describing attendance to bodily information in daily life and noticing bodily responses to emotions and/or environment and body dissociation, describing a sense of separation from one’s own body, due to avoidance or emotional disconnection. Mann-Whitney U tests were employed to test for group differences (BPD vs. HC) on the two SBC subscales and associations with clinical symptoms were analyzed with Spearman correlations. We performed mediation analyses in the BPD group to test the assumption that body connection could act as a mediator between a history of traumatic childhood experiences and emotion dysregulation. Results Individuals with BPD reported significantly lower levels of body awareness and significantly higher levels of body dissociation compared to HC. Body dissociation, traumatic childhood experiences, and emotion dysregulation were significantly positively associated. Further analyses revealed that body dissociation, but not body awareness, significantly and fully mediated the positive relationship between traumatic childhood experiences and impaired emotion regulation in the BPD sample. This mediation survived when trait dissociation, i.e., general dissociative experiences not necessarily related to the body, was statistically controlled for. Conclusion Certain dimensions of body connection seem to be disturbed in BPD patients, with body dissociation being an important feature linking a history of traumatic childhood experiences to current deficits in emotion regulation.

Expression Versus Distraction

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 162-179
Author(s):  
Ciara James ◽  
Jennifer E. Drake ◽  
Ellen Winner
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Mood Induction ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Positive And Negative Affect ◽  
Over Expression ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Emotion Regulation Strategy

While the benefit of distraction over expression as an emotion regulation strategy has been shown, it is not clear whether this benefit generalizes across a range of activities. To find out, we compared distraction versus expression in drawing, writing, talking, and thinking to oneself. We induced a negative mood in 160 participants by asking them to visualize an upsetting experience. Participants were randomly assigned to an emotion regulation strategy (express or distract) and an activity (draw, write, talk, or think). Positive and negative affect was measured before and after the mood induction and after the activity. Distraction boosted positive affect more than did expression for the draw and think activities, but distraction lowered negative affect more than did expression for all four activities. We conclude that distraction is a more effective emotion regulation strategy than expression in improving mood especially for activities that involve drawing and thinking.

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