title: Borderline personality features and harmful dysregulated behavior: the mediational effect of mindfulness.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The current preliminary study investigated whether deficits in mindfulness (awareness, attentiveness, and acceptance of the present experience) may underlie the relationship of borderline personality disorder (BPD) features to self-injury and overall acts of harmful dysregulated behavior.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nonparametric bootstrapping procedures were used to examine theoretical relationships among variables in a psychiatric sample of adults (N = 70). Participants were asked to imagine themselves in distress-inducing situations and then write what they would actually do to decrease distress in such situations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  As hypothesized, mindfulness statistically mediated the relationship of BPD features to reported acts of (a) self-injury and (b) overall harmful dysregulated behaviors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Difficulties in the ability to be aware, attentive, and accepting of ongoing experience may play a role in the relationship of BPD features to harmful dysregulated behaviors. Future research should clarify potential reciprocal effects between BPD features and mindfulness with prospective, multioccasion designs.
authors: John Jay College/City University of New York, NY 10019, USA. pegwupp@hotmail.com
authors: Peggilee
authors: P
authors: Wupperman
authors: Melissa
authors: M
authors: Fickling
authors: David H
authors: DH
authors: Klemanski
authors: Matthias
authors: M
authors: Berking
authors: Jeannie B
authors: JB
authors: Whitman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness / Q000502:physiology*; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D064866:Mindfulness; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology
keywords: borderline personality; dysregulation; impulsivity; mindfulness; self-injury; substance