Effectiveness of Transference-Focused Psychotherapy on Neuroticism and Impulsivity in Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline personality disorder is a common mental disorder that is associated with high suicide rates, severe functional impairment, high rates of associated mental disorders, overuse of treatment, and high costs to society. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of analytical psychotherapy based on transference-focused psychoanalysis on neuroticism and impulsivity in people with borderline personality.

A quasi-experimental study with A-B-A design was carried out and the study population included patients (n=32) with borderline personality disorder attending the outpatient department in Zare Psychiatric Hospital and Mana House Clinic in Sari, between May and June 2020. Seven patients were selected by available sampling and were randomly allocated into an experimental group (n=4) and a control group (n=3) and were treated for one year. Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (2004) and NEO Personality Inventory (2004) were administered. Statistical analysis was performed using graph analysis, stable change, and recovery rate.

Findings showed that transference-focused psychotherapy can be effective on neuroticism and impulsivity in people with borderline personality.

The treatment outcome is not success versus failure, however, it may include improvements in a number of functional areas. Further research is also needed to generalize current findings.