Emotion dysregulation, impulsivity and personality disorder traits: A community sample study

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Personality Science

Background:

• Individual differences in personality disorder (PD) traits are common.
• Emotion regulation is a key factor in psychological functioning.
• Understanding the interplay between emotion dysregulation, impulsivity, and PD traits is crucial for effective intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test an emotion regulation framework for understanding personality disorder traits in a non-clinical sample.
• To examine differential relationships between emotion dysregulation dimensions and PD traits.
• To investigate the independent associations of emotion dysregulation and impulsivity with PD traits.

Main Methods:

• A community sample of 399 adults completed self-report measures.
• Assessed personality disorder traits, emotion dysregulation, and impulsivity.
• Utilized bivariate and multiple regression analyses to examine associations.

Main Results:

• Emotion dysregulation facets and impulsivity showed both uniform and unique associations with PD traits.
• Nonacceptance of emotional responses was linked to various PD traits.
• Specific emotion dysregulation patterns and impulsivity uniquely predicted certain PDs, including schizoid, antisocial, and borderline PD.
• Better emotion regulation was associated with histrionic, narcissistic, and obsessive-compulsive PD traits.

Conclusions:

• Emotion dysregulation and impulsivity are significantly associated with personality disorder traits.
• Findings suggest targeting emotion dysregulation and impulsivity in psychotherapy for PDs could be beneficial.
• Replication in clinical samples is warranted to confirm these associations and therapeutic implications.