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Anger rumination and aggressive behaviour in borderline personality disorder
Author(s) -
Martino Francesca,
Caselli Gabriele,
Berardi Domenico,
Fiore Francesca,
Marino Erika,
Menchetti Marco,
Prunetti Elena,
Ruggiero Giovanni Maria,
Sasdelli Anna,
Selby Edward,
Sassaroli Sandra
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
personality and mental health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.193
H-Index - 22
eISSN - 1932-863X
pISSN - 1932-8621
DOI - 10.1002/pmh.1310
Subject(s) - rumination , anger , borderline personality disorder , psychology , dysfunctional family , emotional dysregulation , aggression , clinical psychology , personality , cognition , developmental psychology , psychiatry , social psychology
Background Emotional instability and dyscontrolled behaviours are central features in borderline personality disorder (BPD). Recently, some cognitive dysfunctional mechanisms, such as anger rumination, have been found to increase negative emotions and promote dyscontrolled behaviours. Even though rumination has consistently been linked to BPD traits in non‐clinical samples, its relationship with problematic behaviour has yet to be established in a clinical population. Aim The purpose of the study was to explore the relationships between emotional dysregulation, anger rumination and aggression proneness in a clinical sample of patients with BPD. Methods Enrolled patients with personality disorders (93 with BPD) completed a comprehensive assessment for personality disorder symptoms, anger rumination, emotional dysregulation and aggression proneness. Results Anger rumination was found to significantly predict aggression proneness, over and above emotional dysregulation. Furthermore, both BPD diagnosis and anger rumination were significant predictors of aggression proneness. Conclusion Future research should examine whether clinical techniques aimed at reducing rumination are helpful for reducing aggressive and other dyscontrolled behaviours in treating patients with BPD. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.