title: Predicting self-damaging and suicidal behaviors in female borderline patients: reasons for living, coping, and depressive personality disorder.
abstract: The aims of this study are to examine (1) whether reasons for living predict self-damaging and suicidal behaviors, (2) the associations of reasons for living with coping strategies and depressive personality disorder (PD), and (3) the unique predictive validity of reasons for living in a multivariate predictor model. Reasons for living (RFL), coping strategies, and depressive personality disorder were measured at baseline in 38 patients who met DSM-IV criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD). Frequency of self-damaging and suicidal behaviors in the 6-month period following baseline was measured prospectively at 3- and 6-month follow-ups. The RFL has only one subscale that predicts parasuicidal behaviors (i.e. Survival and Coping Beliefs [SCB]). Participants who scored low on this subscale were 6.8 times more likely to exhibit self-damaging and suicidal behaviors in the follow-up period than their high-scoring counter-parts. However, SCB was substantially correlated with the coping strategies "reassuring thoughts," "active coping," and "palliative reaction pattern," as well as with depressive personality traits. In a multivariate model, the predictive power of SCB appeared to be accounted for by reassuring thoughts and depressive PD. Coping scales might be preferable over the RFL as a predictor of self-damaging and suicidal behaviors in borderline patients.
authors.affiliation: Amsterdam Institute for Addiction Research (AIAR), Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam (AMC-UvA), Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Rietdijk
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: van den Bosch
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Verheul
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Koeter
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: van den Brink
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology*