Borderline Personality Disorder and Deliberate Self‐Harm: Does Experiential Avoidance Play a Role?
Abstract
The theory that borderline personality disorder (BPD) is associated with experiential avoidance, and that experiential avoidance mediates the association between BPD and deliberate, nonsuicidal self-harm was examined. Female inmate participants (N = 105) were given structured diagnostic assessments of BPD, as well as several measures of experiential avoidance. There was a high lifetime prevalence of past self-harm (47.6%). Higher dimensional scores representing BPD severity were associated with higher self-harm frequency and greater experiential avoidance. Structural equation modeling analyses indicated that experiential avoidance did not mediate the association between BPD and self-harm, although thought suppression was associated with self-harm frequency.
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Research has shown that psychological inflexibility is relevant to an even broader range of problem areas beyond depressive, anxiety, eating and substance use disorders, including psychosis and borderline personality disorder.
“Research has shown that psychological inflexibility is relevant to an even broader range of problem areas beyond depressive, anxiety, eating and substance use disorders, including psychosis (Goldstone et al., 2011) and borderline personality disorder (Chapman, Specht & Cellucci, 2005).”
From Examining psychological inflexibility as a transdiagnostic process across psychological disorders (2014) · cites this paper as Chapman, Specht & Cellucci, 2005
There is evidence to suggest that flexibility and rigidity are present in disorders that were excluded from this study, such as neurodevelopmental disorders, personality disorders, and eating disorders.
“Nevertheless, there is evidence to suggest that flexibility and rigidity are present in disorders that were excluded from this study, such as neuro developmental disorders, personality disorders (e.g., Chapman, Specht, & Cellucci, 2005), and eating disorders (e.g., Tchanturia et al., 2004).”
From Defining and measuring “psychological flexibility”: A narrative scoping review of diverse flexibility and rigidity constructs and perspectives (2021) · cites this paper as Chapman, Specht, & Cellucci, 2005
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Acceptance and Cognitive Behavior Therapy
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- Authors
- Chapman, A. L., Specht, M. W., & Cellucci, T.
- Affiliations
- Simon Fraser University (CA)
- Idaho State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Chapman, Alexander L.
- Venue
- Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2005-08
- Volume
- 35
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 388-399
- ISSN
- 0363-0234 (ISSN-L)
- 1943-278X
- OpenAlex
- W2169592014
- Cited by
- 198
- References
- 7
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 17
- FWCI
- 8.13
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Disorders and Psychopathology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Mental Health Research Topics
- Keywords
- borderline personality disorder, self-harm, non-suicidal self-injury, experiential avoidance, thought suppression, mediation, women prisoners, BPD severity
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Borderline Personality Disorder, Escape Reaction, Female, Humans, Prisoners, Surveys and Questionnaires, Suicide, Attempted, Self-Injurious Behavior
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