Self-Compassion Mediates the Relationship Between Mindfulness and Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms

Abstract

Individuals suffering from borderline personality disorder (BPD) experience difficulties with mindfulness. How mindfulness influences BPD symptoms, however, is still unknown. We hypothesized that the relationship between mindfulness and BPD symptoms would be mediated by self-compassion. In study 1, we recruited 29 individuals with BPD and 30 group-matched healthy controls. In study 2, we complemented our results with findings from a larger, nonclinical sample of 89 participants that were recruited during an open-house event at the local university. All participants completed questionnaires assessing self-compassion, mindfulness, BPD symptom severity, and emotion dysregulation. In both studies, self-compassion mediated the relationship between mindfulness and BPD symptom severity as well as between mindfulness and emotion dysregulation. Self-compassion seems to be one psychological process that could explain the relationship between mindfulness and BPD symptoms. One promising approach in therapy could be to target self-compassion more directly during mindfulness trainings and interventions.

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

“…According to our study, BPD patients scored lower on the adaptive, and higher on the maladaptive dimensions of the self-compassion scale than the healthy control group. Self-compassion has already been examined in BPD in contrast to a healthy population [55,57]; their findings were similar to our results. A study, where self-compassion was examined in cluster C personality disorders before and after a short-term dynamic psychotherapy, showed that levels of self-compassion increased due to therapy, and this in turn predicted decrease in psychiatric symptoms, and personality pathology [78].…”

“…A study found that BPD patients had significantly higher fears and resistances to all forms of compassion (fears of self-compassion, fears of being open to compassion of others, fears of being compassionate to others) compared to the control group [57]. The current study is an extension of the previous one that compared BPD and HC groups by using SCS [55] since it investigates group differences in the SCS subscales as well.…”

“…Research shows that loving-kindness and compassion meditation based on self-compassion lowers self-criticism and improves self-kindness and acceptance in BPD patients [53]. Moreover, self-compassion seems to mediate between mindfulness and BPD symptoms, and between mindfulness and emotion dysregulation as well [55]. Self-compassion is also considered the outcome of mindfulness practice [56].…”

“…Some research has already been conducted on comparing BPD population to HC in the context of self-compassion, although with a different aim. Scheibner and colleagues [55] used the Self Compassion Scale (SCS) to compare BPD patients with HC, and found significant differences between these two groups in terms of self-compassion. A study found that BPD patients had significantly higher fears and resistances to all forms of compassion (fears of self-compassion, fears of being open to compassion of others, fears of being compassionate to others) compared to the control group [57].…”

O efeito da impulsividade, autoaversão e autocompaixão nos traços borderline na adolescência: Estudo das diferenças entre sexos

“…Diversos estudos têm mostrado associações negativas entre a autocompaixão e a psicopatologia (Krieger et al, 2013;Marsh et al, 2018) e correlações positivas entre a autocompaixão e o bem-estar e funcionamento psicológico adaptativo (Bluth et al, 2017;Neff et al, 2007). Em adultos, existem alguns estudos que mostraram o papel protetor da autocompaixão relativamente à PBP (Keng & Wong, 2017;Loess, 2015;Scheibner et al, 2018;Warren, 2015), no entanto, no que toca à população adolescente, estudos sobre os traços borderline e a sua relação com a autocompaixão são escassos. Não obstante, estudos com adolescentes já apresentaram evidência de que ser autocompassivo está associado a outcomes psicológicos positivos (Bluth & Balton, 2015;Cunha et al, 2013Cunha et al, , 2016.…”