Borderline Personality Features, Anger, and Intimate Partner Violence: An Experimental Manipulation of Rejection
Abstract
Individuals with borderline personality features may be susceptible to react to situational stressors with negative and interpersonally maladaptive emotionality (e.g., anger) and aggression. The current study attempted to test two moderated mediation models to investigate dispositional risk factors associated with borderline personality features and intimate partner violence (IPV). Results from an experimental rejection induction paradigm were examined using moderated regression to observe contextual reactions to imagined romantic rejection from a current romantic partner among individuals with borderline personality features. An ethnically diverse sample of 218 undergraduates at a large public university in the southwestern United States was recruited. Participants responded to demographic questions and self-report measures, and engaged in an experimental rejection induction paradigm. Borderline personality features was positively associated with rejection sensitivity, physical assault, and psychological aggression. Contrary to initial hypotheses, rejection sensitivity did not serve as a mediator of the relations between borderline personality features and physical assault and psychological aggression. However, trait anger mediated the relation between borderline personality features and psychological aggression. As such, trait anger may be an important explanatory variable in the relation between borderline personality features and psychological aggression specifically. Results of the rejection induction paradigm indicated that, for individuals who were asked to imagine an ambiguous rejection, the relation between borderline personality features and state anger post-rejection was strengthened. For individuals who imagined a critical rejection, there was no significant relation between borderline personality features and state anger post-rejection. Findings suggest that trait anger may be an important dispositional factor in the link between borderline personality features and IPV. In addition, contextual factors, such as ambiguous rejection by an intimate partner, may be especially relevant in activating anger or aggression in individuals with borderline personality features.
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In adults with BPD, emotion dysregulation, particularly involving anger in a context of perceived rejection, is associated with both prior victimization by child maltreatment and subsequent violence perpetration toward self and others.
“In adults with BPD, emotion dysregulation, particularly involving anger [56] in a context of perceived rejection [4, 48, 132], also has been shown to be associated with both prior victimization by child maltreatment and subsequent violence perpetration toward self and others (primarily intimate partners) [73, 79, 96, 98, 107, 126].”
From Complex PTSD and borderline personality disorder (2021) · cites this paper as [4]
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References 56 · Cited by 19
- Authors
- Armenti, N. A., & Babcock, J. C.
- Affiliations
- University of Houston (US)
- Corresponding author
- Armenti, Nicholas A.
- ORCID
- Babcock, Julia C.
- Venue
- Journal of Interpersonal Violence
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2018-04-19
- Volume
- 36
- Issue
- 5-6
- Pages
- NP3104-NP3129
- ISSN
- 0886-2605 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-6518
- OpenAlex
- W2802310238
- Cited by
- 19
- References
- 56
- Citations by year
- 2025: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 1.77
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Interpersonal Violence (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Disorders and Psychopathology
- Social Sciences › Health › Intimate Partner and Family Violence
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression
- Keywords
- borderline personality traits, intimate partner violence, anger, rejection sensitivity, romantic rejection, psychological aggression, physical assault, trait anger, state anger, moderated mediation
- MeSH terms
- Intimate Partner Violence, Aggression, Anger, Borderline Personality Disorder, Humans, Personality
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