Mentalization and interpersonal problems in borderline personality disorder (BPD) traits

Difficulties in mentalization may be a developmentally based foundation for interpersonal problems in Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Fonagy and colleagues have developed a theoretical framework whereby relationships between difficulties in mentalization and other core characteristics of BPD (i.e., insecure attachment, intrapersonal emotion dysregulation and identity diffusion) may underlie interpersonal problems. However, most of the published work on these aspects of the framework have been theoretical in nature. The aim of the study was to investigate this framework and extend it by including interpersonal emotion dysregulation. Simple and multiple mediation analyses were performed with a convenience sample of 64 undergraduate students. Results indicated that hypomentalizing mediated the relationship between BPD symptoms and interpersonal problems. No significant mediators were found between insecure attachment and interpersonal problems or between mentalization errors and interpersonal problems. Limitations include the sample size and the lack of a negative emotion induction and recommendations for future research are suggested.