Impulsivity in Borderline Personality Disorder: Impairment in Self-Report Measures, but Not Behavioral Inhibition

Background: Impulsivity is a core feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, previous clinical and experimental studies investigating impulsivity in BPD rendered mixed results. In this study, impulsivity was assessed by self-report scales and behavioral inhibition tasks to compare di...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychopathology 2010-01, Vol.43 (3), p.180-188
Main Authors: Jacob, Gitta A., Gutz, Lea, Bader, Kerstin, Lieb, Klaus, Tüscher, Oliver, Stahl, Christoph
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Behavior
Biological and medical sciences
Borderline Personality Disorder - complications
Borderline Personality Disorder - psychology
Emotions
Female
Humans
Impulsive Behavior - complications
Impulsive Behavior - psychology
Inhibition (Psychology)
Medical sciences
Neuropsychological Tests
Original Paper
Personality disorders
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Self evaluation
Self-Assessment
Severity of Illness Index
Surveys and Questionnaires
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background: Impulsivity is a core feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, previous clinical and experimental studies investigating impulsivity in BPD rendered mixed results. In this study, impulsivity was assessed by self-report scales and behavioral inhibition tasks to compare different data levels. Sampling and Methods: Fifteen women with BPD and 15 matched healthy control subjects (HC) completed the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, Eysenck’s Impulsivity Questionnaire and the UPPS (Urgency, Lack of Perseverance, Lack of Premeditation and Sensation Seeking) scale, and participated in a Stroop task, an antisaccade task and a stop signal task. Results: Patients with BPD scored significantly higher on self-report measures as compared to HC, but not in behavioral tests. In BPD patients, but not in HC, behavioral inhibition errors were correlated with more intense emotional state. Conclusion: We found a discrepancy between self-report and behavioral data. Further studies need to assess additional possible mechanisms underlying increased impulsivity, their relation to emotional instability, and their neurobiological underpinnings.
ISSN:0254-4962
1423-033X
DOI:10.1159/000304174