Chronic feelings of emptiness in a large undergraduate sample: Starting to fill the void

Abstract

Chronic emptiness in borderline personality disorder (BPD) has received little empirical attention. We sought to examine basic properties of a single chronic emptiness item, including prevalence, reliability, validity, the relation of the emptiness item to other BPD criteria, and measures of personality. Undergraduates enrolled in psychology courses over 12 years' time completed the McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (MSI-BPD) (N = 22,217). Subsets of participants completed the International Personality Disorder Examination-Screening Questionnaire (IPDE-SQ) (N = 2732), The Revised NEO Personality Inventory (Anxiety, Angry Hostility, Depression, Positive Emotions [reversed], and Impulsivity facets) (N = 10,506), and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) (N = 1110) as validity indicators; 10.0% of respondents endorsed emptiness. Reliability indices suggestedmoderate levels of reliability between two emptiness items (r(2730) = 0.61, p < 0.001). Among BPD criteria, emptiness and identity disturbance correlated most strongly (r(22,215) = 0.81, p < 0.001). MSI emptiness was more correlated with depression on the NEO (r(10,504) = 0.43, p < 0.001) and DASS (r(1108) = 0.51, p < 0.001) than other facets of negative affect. Emptiness was more correlated with greater borderline pathology than any other MSI-BPD item (Sample 1, r tet = 0.87; Sample 2, r tet = 0.86). This criterion warrants further study and attention, especially related to assessment of BPD.

Trajectories of adaptive and disturbed identity dimensions in adolescence: developmental associations with self-esteem, resilience, symptoms of depression, and borderline personality disorder features

“…Although these feelings have been mainly considered within individuals with BPD or psychotic disorders ( 74 – 76 ), recent work shows that a lack of identity and feelings of inner emptiness are also experienced by individuals without mental health diagnoses ( 77 , 78 ). A study among college students found that almost one in five students experience emptiness ( 79 ), and a recent study by Martin and Levy ( 80 ) indicated that feelings of emptiness were consistently endorsed by 10% of 22,217 US college students and significantly increased in women. As our study shows that experiencing a sense of inner emptiness and lack of identity is relatively common in adolescence and may even increase over time, research on the (pathological) nature of these feelings and how they diverge from other, highly researched identity problems (e.g., identity confusion and distress, and ruminative identity exploration) is recommended.…”

Early maladaptive schemas, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder in a trauma-exposed sample: a correlation, regression and network perspective

“…Higher enmeshment probably leads to a higher level of incongruence between the real and false self as well as feelings of emptiness. These characteristics could lead to a higher level of risky or reckless behavior (Martin & Levy, 2021;Walton, 2019). This can explain the connection between enmeshment and the externalizing behaviors symptoms of PTSD.…”

A general inductive approach to characterize transdiagnostic experiences of emptiness

“…On one hand, qualitative reports of chronically depressed adults highlighted pervasive feelings of emptiness (Rhodes et al, 2019). Further, quantitative studies suggest that emptiness is an important predictor of depressive symptoms (e.g., Klonsky, 2008; Konjusha et al, 2021; Mann et al, 1989; Martin & Levy, 2022). On the other hand, the DSM‐5‐TR uses emptiness to distinguish grief from major depressive disorder, stating that grief, but not depression, is characterized by feelings of emptiness.…”