Social role dysfunction and coping in borderline personality disorder

This study sought to explore these variables via moderated mediation, investigating the mediating influence of coping styles on the association between BPD symptoms and social role dysfunction and if these associations were further moderated by gender. Participants (N = 233) were outpatients attending a programme for personality dysfunction. Participants completed measures of BPD symptoms, coping styles and social role dysfunction. Moderated mediation indicated that for women, emotion‐oriented coping and social diversion‐oriented coping mediated the associ ation between BPD symptoms and social dysfunction. While BPD symptoms were positively associated with emotion coping, which was positively associated with social role dysfunction, BPD symptoms were negatively associated with social diversion coping, which was negatively associated with social role d ysfunction. For men, coping did not mediate the association between BPD symptoms and social role dysfunction. Our findings may indicate that social support and a healthy social network may play an important part in the ongoing social role functioning of women with BPD. From this, potential early the rapeutic interventions targeting safe social engagement in times of stress may decrease the pervasive and persistent nature of social dysfunction in BPD. © 2020 John Wiley& Sons, Ltd.
Source: Personality and Mental Health - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Research Article Source Type: research