The mediating role of Emotional Intelligence in explaining the causal relations between Theory of Mind and Cognitive Flexibility with Borderline Personality Disorder traits in Adolescents

People with borderline personality disorder have deficits in cognitive flexibility, theory of mind, and emotional intelligence. The aim of this study was determining the mediating role of emotional intelligence in explaining the causal relations between theory of mind and cognitive flexibility with borderline personality disorder traits in adolescents.

The present study was conducted by correlation method and structural equation modeling. The statistical population of the research was made up of all teenagers studying in schools of the 5th education region of Tehran in 2018-2019. 352 people were selected by available sampling method. The participants answered the Borderline Personality Inventory, the Cognitive flexibility questionnaire, the Reading the Minds of the Eyes Test and the Bradberry-Greaves’ Emotional Intelligence individually during one session. The results showed the total path coefficient between theory of mind (β=0.210, P<0.01) and cognitive flexibility (β=0.219, P<0.01) with negative borderline personality disorder traits and at the 0.01 level was significant. The path coefficient between emotional intelligence and borderline personality disorder traits was negative and significant at the 0.01 level (β=0.322, P < 0.01). Indirect path coefficient between theory of mind (P < 0.01, β = -0.113) and cognitive flexibility (P < 0.01, β = -0.109) with negative borderline personality disorder traits and at the level of 0.01 was significant. Therefore, emotional intelligence mediates the relations between theory of mind and cognitive flexibility with borderline personality disorder traits in a negative and significant path.

Cognitive and emotional factors can predict the borderline personality disorder traits in adolescents.