Borderline personality disorder stigma: Examining the effects of diagnostic disclosure, behavior, and gender as sources of stigma in the general population.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe mental disorder characterized by a pervasive pattern of emotional and behavioral dysregulation. Dysfunction and distress may be compounded by stigmatizing beliefs held by members of the community. There is a lack of research focusing on stigmatizing beliefs about BPD held by the general population. This study addressed this gap by examining the relationship between BPD and a variety of stigma domains in a community sample. The current study explored whether (a) stigma is more strongly related to BPD symptomatic behavior or the diagnostic label of BPD, (b) attaching a diagnosis of BPD to symptomatic behavior or nonclinical behavior influences stigma, and (c) the gender of a vignette character influences the stigmatization of BPD. A total of 295 participants read vignettes and completed questionnaires assessing stigma type and intensity. Findings from the current study suggest that stigma is higher for BPD symptomatic behavior than for the diagnosis itself. Attaching a diagnostic label of BPD to BPD symptomatic behavior did not significantly impact the resultant stigma; however, the diagnosis was found to increase stigma for nonclinical behavior. Findings concerning BPD stigma and gender are in line with broader gender stereotypes. Specifically, there was greater pity for women displaying BPD behavior, whereas there was greater anger for men displaying the same behavior. BPD symptomatic behavior vignettes depicting a man also received a higher level of dangerousness and fear. Study limitations and future directions are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Patient-related factors associated with patient retention and non-completion in psychosocial treatment of borderline personality disorder: A systematic review.

The potential efficacy of psychosocial interventions in the treatment of borderline personality disorder (BPD) is impacted by significant treatment non-completion (TNC), with meta-analytic studies reporting rates of attrition of between 25% and 28%. Increasing patient retention could facilitate outcomes and improve resource utilization, given limited healthcare services. A systematic search of PsycINFO, CINAHL, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and Web of Science Core Collection identified 33 articles that met the criteria for inclusion. Although substantial heterogeneity in terms of methodology and quality of analysis limited conclusions that could be drawn in the narrative review, a few consistent patterns of findings were elucidated, such as Cluster B personality disorder comorbidities and lower therapeutic alliance were associated with TNC. Interestingly, the severity of BPD symptoms was not a predictor of TNC. These findings are discussed in terms of their potential theoretical contribution to TNC. Clinically, there may be value in applying mindfulness and motivational interviewing strategies early on in treatment for individuals who present uncertainty about engaging in treatment. Further research to develop this empirical landscape includes focusing on high-powered replications, examining burgeoning lines of research, and investigating dynamic predictors of TNC.

Psychological Stress across the Lifespan and Cognitive Function among Older Adults: The Moderating Role of a Healthy Lifestyle.

This study aimed to (a) investigate the associations between indices of stress severity across the lifespan (early, middle, late life) and cognitive function among community-dwelling older adults, and (b) examine whether a healthy lifestyle composite score comprised of physical activity, healthy diet adherence, social engagement, sleep quality, and mindful relaxation moderates the associations between lifespan stress severity and cognitive function. Participants (n = 226, Mage = 68.2 ± 6.5, 68.1% female) completed questionnaires to measure stress and lifestyle behaviours, and three online neurocognitive tasks. No direct associations between stress severity and cognition were found. The healthy lifestyle composite score moderated the associations between early, midlife, and late-life stress severity and inhibitory control. Exploratory analyses suggest that this moderating effect may be sex-dependent. Despite study limitations and the need for additional research, findings provide preliminary support for the role of lifestyle behaviours in enhancing older adults' resilience to the effects of stress on cognitive health in a sex-specific manner.

Neuroticism and Stress in Older Adults: The Buffering Role of Self-Esteem.

BACKGROUND: Chronic stress is associated with accelerated aging and poor health outcomes in older adults. According to the Transactional Model of Stress (TMS), distress is experienced when one perceives the stressor, or threat, to outweigh the ability to cope. The experience of distress is correlated with trait neuroticism, which is associated with greater perceptions of stress and stress reactivity, as well as a tendency to engage in maladaptive coping strategies. However, as individual personality traits do not act in isolation, this study aimed to investigate the moderating role of self-esteem in the relationship between neuroticism and distress using a TMS framework. METHODS: A total of 201 healthy older adults (Mage = 68.65 years) completed questionnaires measuring self-esteem, neuroticism, perceived stress, and positive coping. RESULTS: Greater neuroticism was significantly associated with less positive coping at low (b = -0.02, p < 0.001) and mean self-esteem levels (b = -0.01, p < 0.001), but not at high self-esteem levels (b = -0.01, p = 0.06). No moderating effect was found for perceived stress or overall distress. CONCLUSION: The results support the association between trait neuroticism and indices of stress and suggest a potential buffering effect of self-esteem in moderating the negative association between neuroticism and positive coping.

Criterion a of the alternative model of personality disorders: Structure and validity in a community sample.

The alternative model of personality disorders were designed to represent the presence of personality dysfunction (Criterion A) and pathological personality traits (Criterion B). Much of the empirical attention toward this model has been directed toward testing the performance of Criterion B. However, the development of the Levels of Personality Functioning Scale-Self-Report (LPFS-SR) has sparked a growing amount of interest and debate around Criterion A. Specifically, there is significant disagreement in the research examining the validity of the LPFS-SR, with ongoing discrepancies regarding the measure's underlying structure and measurement of Criterion A. The present study aimed to compare four models (one-factor, four-factor, higher order, and bifactor models) in a sample of 416 adults (49.5% women, 63.5% White) to better understand the structure of the LPFS-SR. This study also built on existing efforts to establish convergent and divergent validity of the LPFS-SR by examining how criteria are related to independent measures of both self and interpersonal pathology. The results from the present study supported a bifactor model. Additionally, the four subscales of the LPFS-SR each captured unique variance above and beyond the general factor. Structural equation models predicting identity disturbance and interpersonal traits demonstrated that while the strongest relationships were found between the general factor and the scales, some support was found for the convergent and discriminant validity of the four factors. This work advances our understanding of the LPFS-SR and provides support for the LPFS-SR as a valid marker of personality pathology in clinical and research settings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Longitudinal pathways between suicidal ideation and life stress.

While much research exists linking stress and suicidality in cross-sectional paradigms, little is known regarding the longitudinal interplay of stress and suicidality across time. In addition, less research exists on suicidal ideation - a transdiagnostic precursor to suicidal behavior. Two competing, though not mutually exclusive, explanations relate to stress exposure, where stress causes suicidal ideation, and stress generation, where suicidal ideation causes stress. The present study examined 101 adults self-reporting symptoms of borderline personality disorder. Participants completed a self-report measure of suicidal ideation and a life stress interview in a three-wave design over the course of one year. Cross-lagged panel analyses were used to examine the longitudinal relationships between suicidal ideation and interpersonal/non-interpersonal chronic life stress, as well as dependent/interpersonal episodic life stress. Results supported chronic and episodic interpersonal stress generation for suicidal ideation, although not across all timepoints.

The mediating role of allostatic load in the relationship between early life adversity and cognitive function across the adult lifespan.

Early life adversity is consequential for poor cognitive health in mid to late-life. Early life adversity is associated with higher allostatic load, a biological indicator of physiological dysregulation due to cumulative wear-and-tear from chronic stress. Higher allostatic load is also associated with poorer cognitive function across the lifespan. To date, a paucity of research has examined allostatic load as a mechanism through which early life adversity impacts cognition in adulthood. Using cross-sectional data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Study, the objective of the current study was to investigate the mediating role of allostatic load in the relationship between early life adversity and cognitive performance (global cognition, episodic memory, executive function) among middle-aged and older adults without cognitive impairment (n = 1541, Mage=53 ± 12, 53% female). Early life adversity was measured retrospectively using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Allostatic load was composed of 20 biomarker proxies of neuroendocrine, metabolic, inflammatory, and cardiovascular systems, stratified by sex. Cognitive performance was evaluated using a battery of standardized neuropsychological tests. Controlling for age, education, and race, allostatic load significantly mediated the relationship between early life adversity and global cognition (ß=-0.01, 95%CI [-0.01,-0.001]), and early life adversity and executive function (ß=-0.01, 95%CI [-0.01,-0.001]), but not episodic memory. Findings did not change after controlling for lifestyle behaviours and current depression. Consistent with the biopsychosocial lifespan model of cognitive aging, findings suggest that early life adversity may become biologically embedded over time to negatively impact cognitive function in later adulthood in a domain-specific manner.

Do group-based mindfulness meditation programs enhance executive functioning? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the evidence.

Research examining the effects of group-based mindfulness interventions on executive functioning have yielded inconsistent findings, with some reports of enhanced performance and other reports of null findings. Inconsistencies in the literature may be due to methodological differences across studies, including the type of control group employed and sample characteristics (e.g., clinical vs. non-clinical samples). The current systematic review and meta-analysis examined the effect of group-based mindfulness programs on executive functioning in persons 18+ years of age. Following the standards for systematic review, a total of 29 studies were included in the meta-analysis, of which 21 comparisons contributed to the analysis of inhibition; nine to working memory; nine to attention shifting; and four to the analysis of verbal fluency. After removing outliers, random effects models suggested a small but significant synthesized effect of group-mindfulness training on overall executive functioning (95% CI = 0.256, 0.725). Examination of executive subdomains after removing outliers suggested a small, statistically significant effect for inhibition (95% CI = 0.055, 0.387), working memory (95% CI = 0.010, 0.437), and verbal fluency (95% CI = 0.071, 1.931). No significant pooled effects were found for attention shifting. A priori subgroup analysis by randomization, type of control group, and sample cohort revealed inconsistent results. Overall, the current review suggests that the effect of group-based mindfulness training on executive functioning is not robust.

The association between allostatic load and cognitive function: A systematic and meta-analytic review.

Previous research suggests that high allostatic load (AL), a biological indicator of physiological dysregulation due to chronic stress, is associated with poor cognitive functioning. To date, no studies have systematically reviewed the literature to evaluate the strength and consistency of this relationship. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic and meta-analytic review of studies that have investigated the association between AL and performance on standardized cognitive tests among adults aged 18 years and older. A total of 18 studies were retained for review. Meta-analyses revealed a significant cross-sectional association between higher AL and poor global cognition (r = -0.08, p <  0.001) and executive function (r = -0.07, p =  0.02), but not memory (r = -0.07, p =  0.10). Due to variation in statistical methods used, longitudinal meta-analyses were not performed. Qualitative review of the literature suggests that AL algorithm, physiological systems and individual biomarkers included in the AL index, and sample age may be key moderators of the AL-cognition relationship. Although the magnitude of reported associations is small, findings support AL as a robust indicator of cognitive function among adults. Study limitations and future directions are discussed.