Emotion regulation, depression and self-harming behaviours in people with borderline personality disorder: the moderating role of action vs. state orientation

• Main Authors: Sybilla Blasczyk-Schiep, Paulina Jaworska-Andryszewska, Ewelina Rabska, Agnieszka Lason, Ewa Niezgoda, Karolina Fila-Witecka
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Termedia Publishing House 2016-01-01
• Series: Current Issues in Personality Psychology
• Subjects: depression; self-harming; borderline personality; action vs. state orientation
• Online Access: https://www.termedia.pl/Emotion-regulation-depression-and-self-harming-behaviours-in-people-with-borderline-personality-disorder-the-moderating-role-of-action-vs-state-orientation,75,26360,1,1.html

Background The aim of this research is to determine the level of emotion regulation, studied through the method of variable action orientation vs. state and its relationship with depressiveness and dimension of the reasons for living and self-harming behaviour of patients with borderline personality disorder. Participants and procedure The research studied 61 patients diagnosed with an emotionally unstable personality of borderline type. The research used the Polish adaptation of tests to measure the action vs. state orientation (SSI-K), the self-harming behaviour (SHI), depression (BDI) and the reasons for living vs. suicidal tendency (RFL-I). Results In people with borderline personality disorder, the level of emotion regulation (action vs. state orientation), reasons for living and depression are predictors of self-harming behaviour. The experience of a depressive episode or lack thereof does not have a relationship with the increase of self-harming. Analysis of the interaction between variables showed that the reasons for living and the action orientation after failure are related to the reduction of self-harming behaviour in all subjects. In depressed people, state orientation is associated with an increase in the action orientation with decreased self-destructive behaviours. Conclusions High levels of reasons for living in interaction with the action orientation have a negative relationship with the self-harming behaviour of patients diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Among those subjects, depressive patients, a statistically lower level of self-harm is related to the action orientation. These results suggest that therapeutic treatment is important to activate both reasons for living as well as action orientation as effective dimensions in preventing self-harming.