The Role of Primary Emotional Traits in Predicting Borderline Personality Symptoms

Emotions are constitutive elements of temperament. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between primary emotional traits and symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and also the predicting role of these traits in BPD symptoms. This cross-sectional study was carried out in Tehran, Iran 2017. The research population included 197 university students. They were recruited using convenience sampling based on the study inclusion/exclusion criteria. The participants completed the Persian version of Affective Neuroscience Personality Scale-2.4 (ANPS 2.4) and Borderline Personality Inventory (BPI). All statistical analyses were carried out in SPSS V16. The findings showed a significant positive correlation between BPD symptoms and playfulness (r=0.17, p=0.001), anger (r=0.32, p=0.001), and sadness (r=0.19, p=0.001). We found a negative relationship between seeking and BPD symptoms (r=-0.22, p=0.001). It was also found that 28% of the total variance of BPD symptoms were explained by primary emotional traits. Anger, playfulness, seeking, and sadness were significant predictors of BPD symptoms. This study confirmed emotional traits of personality. Findings also help to illustrate the possible emotional profiles of people with BPD symptoms. Hence, affective neuroscience approach could be used in diagnosis and treatment of BPD symptoms.