title: The Mediating Role of Emotion Dysregulation in the Relations Between Childhood Trauma History and Adult Attachment and Borderline Personality Disorder Features: A Study of Italian Nonclinical Participants.
abstract: In order to evaluate if emotion dysregulation significantly mediates the relationships between childhood abuse and adult attachment and borderline personality disorder features, 354 community Italian adults were administered the Borderline Personality Inventory (Leichsenring, 1999a), the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (Gratz & Roemer, 2004), the Child Abuse and Trauma Scale (Sanders & Becker-Lausen, 1995), and the Attachment Style Questionnaire (Feeney, Noller, & Hanrahan, 1994). Hierarchical regression analyses showed that both childhood abuse and adult attachment were positively associated with emotion dysregulation and borderline personality features; however, only emotional abuse and the attachment dimension of need for approval were common predictors of both dependent variables. No significant interaction effects were detected in regression analyses. Mediation analyses provided support for partial mediation, revealing a significant mediating role of emotion dysregulation in the relationships between both emotional abuse and need for approval and borderline personality features in this community sample.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Studies, LUMSA University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fossati
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson.
authors.forename: Kim L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Gratz
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Studies, LUMSA University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Somma
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology, Vita Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Cesare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maffei
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology, Vita Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Borroni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D009769:Object Attachment; D012044:Regression Analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data