1
Class 5: Borderline Personality Disorder
Trauma and Emotional Responding in Borderline PD
Lobbestael – Emotional, Cognitive, and Physiological Correlates of Abuse-Related Stress in
Borderline and Antisocial Personality Disorder
Childhood abuse is an important precursor of borderline personality disorder (BPD)
and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD).
Current Study: Compared the emotional reactivity to abuse-related stress of these
patients on a direct and an indirect level.
Changes in self-reported affect and schema modes, psychophysiology and reaction
time based cognitive associations were assessed following confrontation with an
abuse-related film fragment in patients with BPD, ASPD, Cluster C personality disorder
and non-patient controls.
Results: Results indicated a hyper-responsivity of BPD-patients on self-reported
negative affect and schema modes, on some psychophysiological indices and on
implicit cognitive associations. The ASPD-group was comparable to the BPD group on
implicit cognitions but did not show self-reported and physiological hyper-reactivity.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that BPD and ASPD-patients are alike in their
implicit cognitive abuse-related stress reactivity, but can be differentiated in their self-
reported and physiological response patterns.
Introduction
One of the main common etiological precursors of borderline personality disorder
(BPD) and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is childhood trauma.
o Both BPD and ASPD have been linked to a broad range of abusive events but
sexual and emotional abuse seem to stand out in BPD-patient’s history and
physical abuse in ASPD patients.
Current Study:
o The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of abuse-related stimuli in BPD
and ASPD patients, both at a direct and an indirect level.
In sum
o In sum, the central question of this study was: Do BPD and ASPD-patients
differ in their reaction to abuse-related stimuli on self-reported affect, self-
reported schema mode, psychophysiological reactivity, and on implicit
abuse-related self-image?
Class 5: Borderline Personality Disorder
Trauma and Emotional Responding in Borderline PD
Lobbestael – Emotional, Cognitive, and Physiological Correlates of Abuse-Related Stress in
Borderline and Antisocial Personality Disorder
Childhood abuse is an important precursor of borderline personality disorder (BPD)
and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD).
Current Study: Compared the emotional reactivity to abuse-related stress of these
patients on a direct and an indirect level.
Changes in self-reported affect and schema modes, psychophysiology and reaction
time based cognitive associations were assessed following confrontation with an
abuse-related film fragment in patients with BPD, ASPD, Cluster C personality disorder
and non-patient controls.
Results: Results indicated a hyper-responsivity of BPD-patients on self-reported
negative affect and schema modes, on some psychophysiological indices and on
implicit cognitive associations. The ASPD-group was comparable to the BPD group on
implicit cognitions but did not show self-reported and physiological hyper-reactivity.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that BPD and ASPD-patients are alike in their
implicit cognitive abuse-related stress reactivity, but can be differentiated in their self-
reported and physiological response patterns.
Introduction
One of the main common etiological precursors of borderline personality disorder
(BPD) and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is childhood trauma.
o Both BPD and ASPD have been linked to a broad range of abusive events but
sexual and emotional abuse seem to stand out in BPD-patient’s history and
physical abuse in ASPD patients.
Current Study:
o The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of abuse-related stimuli in BPD
and ASPD patients, both at a direct and an indirect level.
In sum
o In sum, the central question of this study was: Do BPD and ASPD-patients
differ in their reaction to abuse-related stimuli on self-reported affect, self-
reported schema mode, psychophysiological reactivity, and on implicit
abuse-related self-image?
