Acceso usuarios
Joaquim Soler Ribaudi, Luis Borao, Carlos Schmidt, David Martínez Rubio, Ausiàs Cebolla Martí, Jesús Montero Marin, Javier García Campayo, Santiago Gascón Santos, Juan C. Pascual
Background and objectives Emotion dysregulation is traditionally considered a core characteristic of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), while alterations in self-concept are often viewed as secondary to emotional dysregulation. "Delusion of Me" (DoM) is a unidimensional construct comprising three domains: acceptance, decentering, and non-attachment. It could be considered closely related to the concept of “self-as-content” and may potentially serve as a measure of this dimension of identity. Across two exploratory studies, the role of DoM as a measure of self-disturbance applied to BPD was investigated.
Method Study 1: A descriptive study comparing disturbances in self-concept (measured by DoM index) and emotional dysregulation in 127 individuals with BPD and 283 non-clinical comparison participants. Correlations between DoM scores and other clinical variables in BPD were also analyzed. Study 2: An exploratory intervention study comparing changes in DoM scores after participation in a mindfulness skills training (n = 32) with a control group (n = 31) receiving interpersonal effectiveness training.
Results Individuals with BPD exhibited significantly lower DoM scores compared to non-clinical controls. DoM index correlated with borderline symptoms and emotional overproduction, independent of emotional dysregulation. Additionally, mindfulness training resulted in a significant increase in DoM scores compared to interpersonal effectiveness intervention. Post-intervention, changes in the DoM index predicted improvements in borderline symptoms, independent of changes in emotion dysregulation.
Conclusion These findings support DoM as a promising transdiagnostic marker of self-disturbances, related to identification, in BPD and suggesting that mindfulness-based interventions may facilitate therapeutic change in part by transforming this component of the self beyond emotional regulation.
