Borderline Personality Symptoms, Body Modification, and Emotional Regulation

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychiatry
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Emotional dysregulation is a core feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD).
• Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is often used by individuals with BPD for emotional regulation.
• The relationship between body modifications and BPD, similar to NSSI, is under-researched.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between body modifications and BPD symptoms.
• To examine if motivations for body modifications (emotional regulation, self-expression) predict BPD symptoms.
• To explore the correlation between NSSI craving and body modification craving.

Main Methods:

• Surveyed 199 US adults (ages 18-67) on BPD symptomatology, NSSI craving, emotional regulation, and body modifications.
• Assessed number of tattoos, body surface coverage by tattoos, and number of piercings.
• Utilized statistical analysis to examine relationships between variables.

Main Results:

• The number of piercings, but not the extent of tattooing, was significantly associated with BPD symptomatology.
• Motivations like emotional regulation and self-expression did not significantly predict BPD symptoms.
• NSSI craving scores positively correlated with body modification craving scores.

Conclusions:

• Body piercings may serve as an alternative emotional regulation strategy to NSSI for individuals with BPD.
• Clinicians treating BPD patients with NSSI should consider the role of body modifications.
• Further research is needed to understand the nuanced relationship between BPD, NSSI, and body modifications.