2013臨床心理學會(年刊發表)
Influence of interpersonal problems on the relationship between attachment styles and social skills in Borderline Personality disorder
Jin-Jia Pan1(潘金嘉), Geng-Li Lin2 M.D. (林耿立醫師)
Institute of Psychology, Heidelberg University, Germany1
Song De Psychiatry Clinic, Taipei2
Background:
The literature on the relationship between attachment style and patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) has been the subject of controversy and few attempts have so far been made at exploring the role of interpersonal problems between the causality of attachment styles and social skills in patients with BPD. The objective of this research was to examine whether interpersonal problems mediated links between attachment styles and social skills in BPD. Furthermore, this research also was to explore if the bias of interpersonal problems in BPD could predict inadequate social skills.
Methods:
29 BPD outpatients (19female, 10male) and 65 control subjects completed Relationship Questionnaire, Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Disorders, Symptom Checklist-90-Revised, Social Skills Inventory, and Inventory of Interpersonal Problems Circumplex Scales. Moreover, a total of 94 significant others (29 from outpatients, and 65 from healthy subjects) were also recruited in this study to assess subject’s interpersonal problems. Independent samples t-test was conducted to compare all variables in two groups and examine the difference between self-report and other-report interpersonal problems. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed to test (a) the relationship between the difference of interpersonal problems and social skills, and (b) the mediation effect of interpersonal problems between attachment styles and social skills in BPD.
Results:
Three important findings were found in this study. Finding 1: The majority of control people had secure attachment styles, while many borderline patients ’attachment styles were insecure. Patients’ scores on social sensibility (SS) were significantly higher than controls and scores on emotional awareness and emotional expression (EAEE) were lower than controls. In terms of interpersonal problems, borderline people described themselves more domineering, vindictive, cold, exploitable, intrusive and nonassertive than normal people. Compared to other-report interpersonal problems in controls, significant others appraised borderline people more vindictive and more socially avoidant. Finding 2: The result of the relationship between the difference of interpersonal problems and social skills indicated that domineering, vindictive, and nonassertive as predictors could significantly negatively predict social awareness and social expression (SASE) respectively; moreover, exploitable as predictor significantly positively predicted SS. Finding3: (1)Preoccupied attachment style had significant predicting power over social sensibility in BPD. (2) Intrusive had full mediation effect between preoccupied attachment style and social sensibility in BPD.
Conclusions:
The results suggest evidence for potential interpersonal mechanism of development of BPD, which was meaningful for understanding the psychopathology of BPD and helpful for application of psychological intervention. Furthermore, several limitations have to be considered in interpreting results, for example, small sample size, borderline outpatients without considering the comorbidity of other personality disorders, the limit of cross sectional study, etc.
Key words: Borderline personality disorder, attachment styles, interpersonal problems, social skills
