Emotional dysfunction in avoidant personality disorder and borderline personality disorder
A cross‐sectional comparative study
Bibliographic Data
According to the literature, avoidant personality disorder (APD) is often overlooked in research on personality disorders. In the present study, patients with APD were compared to patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) with respect to emotional dysfunction. Emotional dysfunction was operationalized through the Affect Integration Inventory. Sixty‐one patients receiving treatment at specialized outpatient hospital facilities for either BPD ( n = 25) or APD ( n = 36) (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition) were included in a cross‐sectional study. Supporting our expectations of no difference in the global capacity for affect integration between groups, the estimated difference was 0.00 (95% confidence interval [CI] [−0.53, 0.53]). On the other hand, the expected increased dysfunction in APD regarding Expression could not be confirmed. Furthermore, problems with specific affects distinguished the groups; integration of Interest was worse in APD ( p = 0.01), whereas integration of Jealousy was worse in BPD ( p = 0.04). In terms of prototypical modes of experiencing affects, APD was characterized by decreased access to the motivational properties of Interest ( p p p p = 0.01). In conclusion, even though the two disorders are characterized by similar overall levels of emotional dysfunction, they differ systematically and predictably regarding specific affects and modes of experiencing. These findings carry implications for the understanding of emotional dysfunction in APD and BPD, suggesting specific areas of emotional dysfunction that could be targeted in tailored psychotherapeutic interventions
Affect (linguistics) · Anger · Avoidant personality disorder · Borderline personality disorder · Jealousy · Personality · Personality disorders · Psychiatry · Psychological intervention · Psychotherapist · Clinical Psychology · Mental Health and Psychiatry · Personality Disorders and Psychopathology · Psychology · Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
The Psychology of Emotions
Emotion regulation and mental health
The twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia scale—I. Item selection and cross-validation of the factor structure
Emotional dysfunction in avoidant personality disorder and borderline personality disorder
Validation of the Affect Integration Inventory in a sample of patients with personality disorders
Affective consciousness
| Citations per year | 0.2 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2021 - 2021 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |