Emotion dysregulation, symptoms and interpersonal problems as independent predictors of a broad range of personality disorders in an outpatient sample

Emotion dysregulation (ED) is considered a hallmark of borderline personality disorder and is prominent in other personality disorders (PDs). Its presence and contribution to personality pathology need to be explored in the whole range of PDs. In this study, we investigated the association of ED with the whole range of PD traits, symptoms, and interpersonal problems and then investigated whether ED had a unique contribution in predicting the different PDs. A sample of 478 treatment-seeking outpatients was interviewed with the SCID-II. The patients were then tested for symptoms (SCL-90-R), interpersonal problems (IIP-32), and ED (DERS). Results: ED correlated with the large majority of PDs and with symptoms and interpersonal problems. Regression showed how ED explained a unique part of the variance for many PDs. ED appears to be a relevant feature of pathology in many PDs; with replication, it can be considered a treatment target in this population.
Practitioner points
Emotion dysregulation is present in many personality disorders.
Emotion dysregulation is not just explained by heightened symptoms and interpersonal problems in personality disorders.
Emotion dysregulation could be considered a treatment target in personality disorders other than borderline.