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The association between locus of control, emotion regulation and borderline personality disorder features
Author(s) -
Hope Nora H.,
Wakefield Matthew A.,
Northey Lynnaea,
Chapman Alexander L.
Publication year - 2018
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.1419
Subject(s) - borderline personality disorder , psychology , association (psychology) , anxiety , psychopathology , locus of control , clinical psychology , mood , cognition , emotional regulation , developmental psychology , psychiatry , psychotherapist
Background Locus of control (LOC) represents individuals' beliefs about how much control they have over outcomes in their life. Previous research has found an association between external LOC and psychopathology. Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by mood instability, identity disturbance and difficulties in impulse control. Aims The aims of this study are to evaluate the relationship between BPD features and LOC in a non‐clinical sample and to assess whether external LOC is associated with BPD features after controlling for symptoms of depression and anxiety. Methods In a cross‐sectional study of 328 university students, we assessed LOC, BPD features, depression and anxiety, as well as difficulties in emotion regulation and cognitive emotion regulation as potential mediators. Results We found an association between external LOC and BPD features after controlling for symptoms of depression, anxiety and demographic covariates. Assessing for indirect effects through potential mediators, we found that difficulties in emotion regulation, but not cognitive emotion regulation, partially mediated the relationship between external LOC and BPD features. Conclusions Findings provide support for a unique association between external LOC and BPD features and suggest a role for external LOC in related emotion regulation problems. Future investigations using experimental designs should examine potential causal associations and the effect of changing LOC on emotion regulation and features of BPD. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.