Association among self-compassion, childhood invalidation, and borderline personality disorder symptomatology in a Singaporean sample

Abstract

BackgroundLinehan’s biosocial theory posits that parental invalidation during childhood plays a role in the development of borderline personality disorder symptoms later in life. However, little research has examined components of the biosocial model in an Asian context, and variables that may influence the relationship between childhood invalidation and borderline symptoms. Self-compassion is increasingly regarded as an adaptive way to regulate one’s emotions and to relate to oneself, and may serve to moderate the association between invalidation and borderline symptoms. The present study investigated the association among childhood invalidation, self-compassion, and borderline personality disorder symptoms in a sample of Singaporean undergraduate students.MethodsTwo hundred and ninety undergraduate students from a large Singaporean university were recruited and completed measures assessing childhood invalidation, self-compassion, and borderline personality disorder symptoms.ResultsAnalyses using multiple regression indicated that both childhood invalidation and self-compassion significantly predicted borderline personality disorder symptomatology. Results from moderation analyses indicated that relationship between childhood invalidation and borderline personality disorder symptomatology did not vary as a function of self-compassion.ConclusionThis study provides evidence in support of aspects of the biosocial model in an Asian context, and demonstrates a strong association between self-compassion and borderline personality disorder symptoms, independent of one’s history of parental invalidation during childhood.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Invalidating Childhood Environment Scale in Spanish (ICES)

“…The model reached to explain only 26% of the variance in the BSL 23 scores. This amount of explained variance does not differ greatly from what was found by other studies using a similar approach (Keng & Wong, 2017;Robertson et al, 2013). In order to generate a better model, other important variables must be included.…”

Emotion regulation, mindfulness, and self-compassion among patients with borderline personality disorder, compared to healthy control subjects

“…Linehan’s biosocial theory [ 49 ] suggests that what she calls "invalidating environments" during childhood may play an important role in the subsequent development of BPD in adolescence, by hindering the development of self-compassion and emotion-regulation. However, a study [ 50 ] found that even though childhood parental invalidation and lack of self-compassion are both strongly associated with BPD symptoms, their associations with BPD symptoms are independent of each other. In contrast, traumatic experiences may contribute to a self-invalidating and self-critical cognitive style [ 49 ].…”

Possible Causes of Mentalization Deficiency and Later Diagnosed Borderline Personality Disorder: A Systematic Review

“…Abuses do harm to people's physical and mental health development, resulting in impaired mentalization and problematic behaviour. Also, the abuse that happened in childhood has long-term effects and leads to borderline personality disorder traits and co-occurring mental disorders [9] [10]. In Keng and Wong's study, child abuse has a great predictor and effect on the formation of borderline personality disorder [9].…”

“…It contributes to the childhood invalidation and formation of early borderline personality disorder. Also, borderline personality disorder patients frequently report that they have experienced child abuse [9]. For example, women who have suffered from child abuse or childhood trauma are two times more likely to have a cluster B personality disorder [11].…”