title: Emotion regulation strategies in bipolar II disorder and borderline personality disorder: differences and relationships with perceived parental style.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bipolar II disorder (BP II) and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) share common features and can be difficult to differentiate, contributing to misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment. Research contrasting phenomenological features of both conditions is limited. The current study sought to identify differences in emotion regulation strategies in BP II and BPD in addition to examining relationships with perceived parental style.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were recruited from a variety of outpatient and community settings. Eligible participants required a clinical diagnosis of BP II or BPD, subsequently confirmed via structured diagnostic interviews assessing DSM-IV criteria. Participants completed a series of self-reported questionnaires assessing emotion regulation strategies and perceived parental style.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sample comprised 48 (n=24 BP II and n=24 BPD) age and gender-matched participants. Those with BPD were significantly more likely to use maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, less likely to use adaptive emotion regulation strategies, and scored significantly higher on the majority of (perceived) dysfunctional parenting sub-scales than participants with BP II. Dysfunctional parenting experiences were related to maladaptive emotion regulation strategies in participants with BP II and BPD, however differential associations were observed across groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Relatively small sample sizes; lack of a healthy control comparator group; lack of statistical control for differing sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, medication and psychological treatments; no assessment of state or trait anxiety; over-representation of females in both groups limiting generalisability of results; and reliance on self-report measures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Differences in emotion regulation strategies and perceived parental style provide some support for the validity of distinguishing BP II and BPD. Development of intervention strategies targeting the differing forms of emotion regulatory pathology in these groups may be warranted.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia; Black Dog Institute, Hospital Road, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia. Electronic address: k.fletcher@unsw.edu.au.
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fletcher
authors.affiliation: School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia; Black Dog Institute, Hospital Road, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia.
authors.forename: Gordon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.affiliation: School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia; Black Dog Institute, Hospital Road, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bayes
authors.affiliation: School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia; Black Dog Institute, Hospital Road, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia.
authors.forename: Amelia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Paterson
authors.affiliation: School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia; Black Dog Institute, Hospital Road, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia.
authors.forename: Georgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: McClure
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016487:Parenting; D010465:Perception; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Bipolar II disorder; Borderline personality disorder; Emotion regulation; Parental style