SELF-DAMAGING BEHAVIORS IN BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER: A FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF SELF-HARM, SUBSTANCE USE, AND DISORDERED EATING BEHAVIORS

Abstract

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is an enduring personality disorder marked by severe self-damaging behaviors such as self-harm, substance use, and disordered eating behaviors. This study examined the emotional antecedents and consequences of self-damaging behavior (self-harm, binge drinking, substance use, and disordered eating behavior) among individualls who report features of BPD to assess the function of these behaviors. Additionally, this study examined whether self-reported difficulties in emotion regulation mediated the relationship between features of BPD and the presence of self-damaging behavior. Results from this study found support for the use of self-harm, drugs use, and disordered eating behavior to regulate emotional experiences and all forms of self-damaging behavior were found to significantly increase the presence of pleasant emotional experiences. The function of self-damaging behavior remains stable, regardless of whether the behavior occurs in isolation or co-occurs with other self-damaging behaviors. In addition, higher rates of polysubstance use were found for individuals with features of BPD compared to those without. Higher rates of difficulties in emotion regulation were found to be associated with features of BPD and the presence of self-damaging behavior was found to partially mediate the relationship between the two constructs. Findings from this study have substantial implications for the conceptualization and treatment of self-damaging behavior in individuals with BPD.