(PS10-C64) Transdiagnostic Identity Disturbance and Emotion: Fear of Emotion, Emotion Regulation, and Mood

Linehan’s 1993 model of BPD suggests that identity disturbance(ID) associated with BPD is driven by difficulties with emotions and over reliance on others for aid with emotions. This is compounded by a maladaptive cognitive process in which one’s sense of self-worth relies on others (Linehan, 1993). The little existing research on BPD and positive emotion suggests deficits in processing of positive information and regulation of positive emotions. Importantly, ID is considered a trans-diagnostic concept that manifests in many forms of psychopathology. Emotion challenges associated with ID include fear of emotion and suppression or avoidance of emotions.

People with higher ID may differentially regulate their positive emotions when they receive self-statements about their identity (e.g., “I am a sympathetic person”), as opposed to other-statements (e.g., “You are a sympathetic person”). The present study used an experimental manipulation of identity information source (i.e., Self vs Other), and hypothesized that condition would moderate the relationship between ID and both positive emotion regulation and positive mood. Fear of emotion was also examined as a moderator.

            Stratified random sampling was used to recruit students (n=35; target n=102) who represented the full range of ID. Participants received a positive mood induction, followed by the experimental manipulation—an adaptation of the rumination self-focus task (Nolen-Hoeksema & Morrow, 1994). They were asked to focus on 16 identity adjectives they had previously chosen to best describe themselves. Participants completed: the Borderline Identity Disturbance Scale (BIDS), Affective Control Scale (ACS; fear of emotion subscales: positive emotions, anger etc.), Positive and Negative Affect (PANAS), Dampening, and the Savoring Beliefs Inventory.

            All results are preliminary as data collection is ongoing. At baseline a significant positive correlation between BIDS and ACS and a negative correlation between BIDS and PA were found. Regression analysis found, controlling for mood, ACS uniquely predicted PA while BIDS did not, and BIDS and ACS uniquely predicted savoring and dampening of positive emotion. Moderation analyses indicated a trend towards condition as a moderator. While both conditions produced a negative relation between ID and positive mood, this relationship was stronger for the “Other” condition. Those in the “Other” condition tended to have higher positive emotion across levels of ID. Further, the ACS positive emotion sub-scale was a moderator, such that lower fear of positive emotion was associated with a strong negative relationship between ID and positive mood, while higher fear of positive emotion lessened the relationship between ID and positive mood.

Findings suggest ID and fear of emotions may respectively negatively impact emotion regulation and positive mood. Fear of emotion in the presence of ID may especially deflate positive emotions. Results also suggest that identity related messages from others and not self, may result in better mood regardless of level of ID. Given the paucity of research on positive emotion and ID, and potential clinical implications, this research adds to the literature.