Distress Tolerance, Impulsivity and Aggression: the Role of Emotional Dysregulation and Reward Sensitivity in Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder Features

Objective: Borderline personality disorder is one of the most severe psychiatric disorders. The purpose of this study was to predict distress tolerance, impulsivity and aggression based on emotional dysregulation and reward sensitivity among individuals with borderline personality disorder features. Methods: The statistical population of the present research was undergraduate students of Shahid Beheshti University in the academic year 2017-18. 1005 male and female students were chosen based on the available sampling method and were screened according to Personality Assessment Inventory_Borderline Subscale. Finally, 146 subjects (50 males and 96 females) could reach the second phase of the research and all of them completed the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, Distress Tolerance Scale, Balloon Analog Risk Task as well as Aggression Questionnaire. To analyze the data, multivariate regression analysis was used. Results: Results of the current research showed that emotional dysregulation and its components had a predictive role in distress tolerance and also aggression. On the other hand, only reward sensitivity could have an important role in predicting impulsivity in individuals with BPD features. Conclusion: This study reflects the remarkable role of emotional regulation mechanisms in distress tolerance and aggression, and in contrast, the role of biological mechanisms such as sensitivity to reward in impulsivity among individuals with BPD features. Furthermore, the results of the present research can have clinical implications considering both etiology and treatment of BPD patients.