Investigating the role of executive attentional control to self-harm in a non-clinical cohort with borderline personality features

• Published in: Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience Vol. 8; p. 274
• Main Authors: Drabble, Jennifer, Bowles, David P, Barker, Lynne Ann
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Research Foundation 20.08.2014; Frontiers Media S.A
• Subjects: Attention; Borderline Personality Disorder; Cohort analysis; Emotions; executive control; Executive function; Impulsivity; Investigations; Mental disorders; Neuroscience; NSSI; Personality; Personality disorders; Population; Self destructive behavior; self-harm; Self-injury; Social organization; Suicides & suicide attempts; Young adults; United Kingdom > UK; attention; executive control; self-harm; borderline personality disorder
• ISSN: 1662-5153; 1662-5153
• DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00274

Self-injurious behavior (or self-harm) is a frequently reported maladaptive behavior in the general population and a key feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Poor affect regulation is strongly linked to a propensity to self-harm, is a core component of BPD, and is linked with reduced attentional control abilities. The idea that attentional control difficulties may provide a link between BPD, negative affect and self-harm has yet to be established, however. The present study explored the putative relationship between levels of BPD features, three aspects of attentional/executive control, affect, and self-harm history in a sample of 340 non-clinical participants recruited online from self-harm forums and social networking sites. Analyses showed that self-reported levels of BPD features and attentional focusing predicted self-harm incidence, and high attentional focusing increased the likelihood of a prior self-harm history in those with high BPD features. Ability to shift attention was associated with a reduced likelihood of self-harm, suggesting that good attentional switching ability may provide a protective buffer against self-harm behavior for some individuals. These attentional control differences mediated the association between negative affect and self-harm, but the relationship between BPD and self-harm appears independent.