Examining the Relative Centrality of Intrapersonal Versus Interpersonal Emotion Regulation to Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms

There is growing interest in expanding research on emotion regulation (ER) in borderline personality disorder (BPD) to examine interpersonal ER in addition to intrapersonal ER. Thus, this study used network analysis to examine the relations among BPD symptoms and both intrapersonal and interpersonal ER dimensions and identify the most central dimensions of ER to BPD pathology. Specifically, we estimated the structural relations among five dimensions of intrapersonal ER difficulties, four dimensions of interpersonal ER (i.e., interpersonal ER tendency and efficacy for both positive and negative emotions), and BPD emotional, behavioral, interpersonal, and cognitive symptom domains. Participants included a nationwide community sample of 916 adults who completed an online study. Results highlight the particular centrality of the intrapersonal ER dimension of difficulties controlling impulsive behaviors when distressed to both BPD symptoms and their relations to other ER dimensions, finding that this ER dimension was the most central bridge node in the network. Results also support the relative centrality of interpersonal ER efficacy for negative emotions, the intrapersonal ER dimension of difficulties accessing effective ER strategies, and BPD emotional symptoms. Finally, findings that the strongest bridge nodes in the network were difficulties controlling impulsive behaviors when distressed, interpersonal ER efficacy for negative emotions, and BPD emotional symptoms suggest that these two specific ER dimensions may connect the other dimensions of ER to BPD symptoms. These results suggest the potential utility of specifically targeting both interpersonal ER efficacy and difficulties controlling impulsive behaviors when distressed in treatments for ER among individuals with BPD.