Social problem solving, autobiographical memory, trauma, and depression in women with borderline personality disorder and a history of suicide attempts.
OBJECTIVE
The primary aim of this study was to compare the retrieval of autobiographical memory and the social problem-solving performance of individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and a history of suicide attempts, with and without concurrent diagnoses of depression and/or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), to that of controls. Additionally, the relationships between autobiographical memory, social problem-solving skills, and various clinical characteristics were examined in the BPD group.


METHODS
Individuals with BPD who had made at least two suicide attempts were compared to controls with regard to specificity of autobiographical memory and social problem-solving skills. Autobiographical memory specificity and social problem-solving skills were further studied in the BPD group by comparing depressed participants to non-depressed participants; and autobiographical memory specificity was also studied by comparing participants with and without PTSD.


METHODS
A total of 47 women with a diagnosis of BPD and 30 controls completed the Autobiographical Memory Test, assessing memory specificity, and the means-end problem solving-procedure, measuring social problem-solving skills. The prevalence of suicidal/self-injurious behaviour, and the exposure to violence, was also assessed in the BPD group.


RESULTS
Compared to controls, participants with BPD showed reduced specificity of autobiographical memory, irrespective of either concurrent depression, previous depression, or concurrent PTSD. The depressed BPD group displayed poor problem-solving skills. Further, an association between unspecific memory and poor problem-solving was displayed in the BPD group.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results confirmed that reduced specificity of autobiographical memory is an important characteristic of BPD individuals with a history of suicide attempt, independent of depression, or PTSD. Reduced specificity of autobiographical memory was further related to poor social problem-solving capacity in the BPD group.
Maurex
Liselotte
L
Section of Psychology, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Liselotte.Maurex@ki.se
Lekander
Mats
M
Nilsonne
Asa
A
Andersson
Eva E
EE
Asberg
Marie
M
Ohman
Arne
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D011340:Problem Solving; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012919:Social Behavior; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult