Borderline Personality Disorder
Conditions
Keywords
Personality Disorder,, Borderline, Psychology, Self-Identity
Brief summary
One of the key features and long considered a fundamental element of Borderline Personality Disorder is the disruption of identity. Autobiographical memory is closely linked to the development and maintenance of a coherent, stable sense of self. It enables the individual to understand who he or she is. The investigators hypothesize that individuals diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder have a less coherent, stable sense of the self than healthy controls. The aim of the study is therefore to compare the sense of identity between a group of patients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and a group of healthy individuals (without Borderline Personality Disorder ). This can be measured by evaluating the content of the self-defining memory using the Self-Defining Memory scale.
Interventions
OTHEREvaluation using the Self-Defining Memory Questionnaire
This questionnaire consists of 3 pages. Page 1 gives a clear, concise definition of a memory that defines the self. This enlightens the subject on what is expected and helps him/her consider the phenomenological characteristics of the Self-Defining Memory. Page 2 recalls the 6 essential characteristics of the Self-Defining Memory. Page 3 allows the practical application of what has been understood about the questionnaire. At least 3 memories are asked of the participants. Each memory is rated as follows : On a scale of 0 - 6 for each of the following emotions, participants note how they feel when recalling each memory. Happy, Sad, Angry, Fearful, Surprised, Ashamed,Disgusted,Guilty, Interested, Embarrassed, Contemptful, Proud. 0 = not at all, 3 = Moderately and 6 = Extremely. Participants must then use the same scale to indicate the vividness and importance of the memory. They must also note the approximate number of years ago the memory took place (to the nearest whole number).
Sponsors
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nīmes
Study design
Observational model
CASE_CONTROL
Time perspective
RETROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Subject must have given written consent * Subject affiliated or beneficiary of a health insurance plan. * Adult subjects between 25 and 55 years of age * Oral and written mastery of the French language Inclusion criteria for the borderline group: * Subject diagnosed as having borderline personality disorder according to the DSM IV classification
Exclusion criteria
for the borderline group: * Patients without diagnosis of borderline personality disorder according to the DSM IV classification after taking the SCID II (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R Axis II Disorders) test
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sense of Identity in patients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder according to the results of the Self-Defining Memory questionnaire. | Day 7 | The answers to the Self-Defining Memory questionnaire will be analyzed. At least 3 memories are asked of the participants. Each memory is rated as follows : On a scale of 0 - 6 for each of the following emotions, participants note how they feel when recalling each memory. Happy, Sad, Angry, Fearful, Surprised, Ashamed,Disgusted,Guilty, Interested, Embarrassed, Contemptful, Proud. 0 = not at all, 3 = Moderately and 6 = Extremely. Participants must then use the same scale to indicate the vividness and importance of the memory. They must also note the approximate number of years ago the memory took place (to the nearest whole number). |
| Sense of Identity in healthy controls according to the results of the Self-Defining Memory questionnaire. | Day 7 | The answers to the Self-Defining Memory questionnaire will be analyzed. At least 3 memories are asked of the participants. Each memory is rated as follows : On a scale of 0 - 6 for each of the following emotions, participants note how they feel when recalling each memory. Happy, Sad, Angry, Fearful, Surprised, Ashamed,Disgusted,Guilty, Interested, Embarrassed, Contemptful, Proud. 0 = not at all, 3 = Moderately and 6 = Extremely. Participants must then use the same scale to indicate the vividness and importance of the memory. They must also note the approximate number of years ago the memory took place (to the nearest whole number). |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Phenomenological details of self-defining memories in patients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder | Day 7 | The Memory Characteristics Questionnaire (MCQ) will be used to compare the self-defining memories in each group of patients, Borderline vs. Controls. The MCQ is a self-administered questionnaire for the assessment of phenomenological characteristics of autobiographical memory. This measurement tool, comprising 15 items and constructed according to a 7-point Likert scale, can distinguish between memories of events, which contain more sensory and contextual details, from memories of contextual details, from memories of imagined events, which contain more elements relating to cognitive operations. |
| Phenomenological details of self-defining memories in healthy controls | Day 7 | The Memory Characteristics Questionnaire (MCQ) will be used to compare the self-defining memories in each group of patients, Borderline vs. Controls. The MCQ is a self-administered questionnaire for the assessment of phenomenological characteristics of autobiographical memory. This measurement tool, comprising 15 items and constructed according to a 7-point Likert scale, can distinguish between memories of events, which contain more sensory and contextual details, from memories of contextual details, from memories of imagined events, which contain more elements relating to cognitive operations. |
| Traumas undergone in patients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder: Frequency | Day 7 | The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) will be used to evaluate the frequency of traumas undergone by the patient. The CTQ is a self-administered questionnaire of childhood and adolescent abuse. The short version, validated in French by David P Bernstein in 2003, includes 28 items and gives a quantitative estimate of the severity of maltreatment experienced. This self-administered questionnaire is based on a 5-point Likert scale and covers five main dimensions of abuse: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect and emotional neglect. |
| Self-coherence of self-defining memories in patients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder | Day 7 | The TALE (Thinking About Life Experiences) self-questionnaire will be used to evaluate this point. This questionnaire contains 15 items, each to be answered with a 5-point Lickert scale (1 = almost never, 5 = very frequently) with the aim of measuring 3 theoretical functions found in the autobiographic memory: * The self-continuity function * The social bonding function * The directing behavior function |
| Traumas undergone in patients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder: Type | Day 7 | The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) will be used to evaluate the type of traumas undergone by the patient. The CTQ is a self-administered questionnaire of childhood and adolescent abuse. The short version, validated in French, includes 28 items and gives a quantitative estimate of the severity of maltreatment experienced. This self-administered questionnaire is based on a 5-point Likert scale and covers five main dimensions of abuse: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect and emotional neglect. |
| Traumas undergone in healthy controls: Type | Day 7 | The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) will be used to evaluate the type of traumas undergone in healthy controls: The CTQ is a self-administered questionnaire of childhood and adolescent abuse. The short version, validated in French by David P Bernstein in 2003, includes 28 items and gives a quantitative estimate of the severity of maltreatment experienced. This self-administered questionnaire is based on a 5-point Likert scale and covers five main dimensions of abuse: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect and emotional neglect. |
| Traumas undergone in healthy controls: Frequency | Day 7 | The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) will be used to evaluate the frequency of traumas undergone by healthy controls. The CTQ is a self-administered questionnaire of childhood and adolescent abuse. The short version, validated in French (David P Bernstein et al. 2003), includes 28 items and gives a quantitative estimate of the severity of maltreatment experienced. This self-administered questionnaire is based on a 5-point Likert scale and covers five main dimensions of abuse: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect and emotional neglect. |
| Self-coherence of self-defining memories in healthy controls | Day 7 | The TALE (Thinking About Life Experiences) self-questionnaire will be used to evaluate this point. This questionnaire contains 15 items, each to be answered with a 5-point Lickert scale (1 = almost never, 5 = very frequently) with the aim of measuring 3 theoretical functions found in the autobiographic memory: * The self-continuity function * The social bonding function * The directing behavior function |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Other observations in patients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder | Day 7 | Calculated criteria, such as Body Mass Index, based on clinical observations not necessarily found on the case report form may be added to the final database. |
| Age of patients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder | Day 0 | In years |
| Other observations in healthy controls | Day 7 | Calculated criteria, such as Body Mass Index, based on clinical observations not necessarily found on the case report form may be added to the final database. |
| Age of healthy controls | Day 0 | In years |
| Sex of patients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder | Day 0 | Male/Female |
| Sex of healthy controls | Day 0 | Male/Female |
| Level of education of patients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder | Day 0 | The level of education (Primary, Secondary, University, Post-graduate…) will be recorded. |
| Level of education of healthy controls | Day 0 | The level of education (Primary, Secondary, University, Post-graduate…) will be recorded. |
| Type of trauma undergone by patients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder | Day 7 | The type of trauma undergone (physical or emotional negligence, physical, sexual or emotional abuse) will be recorded. |
| Type of trauma undergone by healthy controls | Day 7 | The type of trauma undergone (physical or emotional negligence, physical, sexual or emotional abuse) will be recorded. |
| Contents of the self-defining memory in patients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder | Day 7 | The contents of the self-defining memory (traumatic memory, neutral memory, pleasant memory) will be recorded. |
| Contents of the self-defining memory in healthy controls | Day 7 | The contents of the self-defining memory (traumatic memory, neutral memory, pleasant memory) will be recorded. |
Countries
France
Outcome results
None listed