title: Affective startle modulation in incarcerated women with borderline personality disorder features.
abstract: Affective startle modulation was assessed in a sample of Caucasian female offenders classified as exhibiting high levels of borderline personality disorder (BPD) features (n = 19) or low levels of BPD features (n = 43) using the Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines-Revised (DIB-R; Zanarini, Gunderson, Frankenburg, & Chauncey, 1989). Contrary to prediction, high-BPD feature participants did not show significantly greater startle blink magnitudes than controls while viewing unpleasant pictures at either a short (2 s) or long (4.5 s) probe time. High-BPD feature participants did show significant blink attenuation while viewing pleasant pictures at the short probe time. The role of attention and the relative specificity of the negative emotion-processing abnormalities exhibited by women with BPD are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology.
authors.forename: Jennifer E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Vitale
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Joseph P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Newman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001767:Blinking / Q000502:physiology; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004576:Electromyography; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010552:Personality Assessment; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology*; D013216:Reflex, Startle; D044465:White People; D055815:Young Adult