title: Anger, preoccupied attachment, and domain disorganization in borderline personality disorder.
abstract: Emotional dysregulation and attachment insecurity have been reported in borderline personality disorder (BPD). Domain disorganization, evidenced in poor regulation of emotions and behaviors in relation to the demands of different social domains, may be a distinguishing feature of BPD. Understanding the interplay between these factors may be critical for identifying interacting processes in BPD and potential subtypes of BPD. Therefore, we examined the joint and interactive effects of anger, preoccupied attachment, and domain disorganization on BPD traits in a clinical sample of 128 psychiatric patients. The results suggest that these factors contribute to BPD both independently and in interaction, even when controlling for other personality disorder traits and Axis I symptoms. In regression analyses, the interaction between anger and domain disorganization predicted BPD traits. In recursive partitioning analyses, two possible paths to BPD were identified: high anger combined with high domain disorganization and low anger combined with preoccupied attachment. These results may suggest possible subtypes of BPD or possible mechanisms by which BPD traits are established and maintained.
authors.affiliation: Pittsburgh Medical Center, PA, USA. morsejq@upmc.edu
authors.forename: Jennifer Q
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Morse
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Pilkonis
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yaggi
authors.forename: Nichaela
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Broyden
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stepp
authors.forename: Lawrence Ian
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Feske
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000786:Anger; D001290:Attitude; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D019260:Expressed Emotion; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009769:Object Attachment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017603:Signal Detection, Psychological; D013694:Temperament; D055815:Young Adult