Emotion dysregulation as a core feature of borderline personality disorder: comparison of the discriminatory ability of two self-rating measures.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: There is growing evidence that emotion dysregulation (ED) is a core feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). The present study examines whether a self-rating measure, the ED Scale, lets us distinguish between individuals with BPD and those diagnosed with other mental disorders in a way similar to that of a borderline-related screening measure, the German version of the McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorders (MSI-BPD).

METHOD

Based on the signal detection theory, receiver operating characteristics as well as reliability and validity indicators are determined in a heterogeneous outpatient sample (n = 168).

RESULTS

The values of internal consistency and the validity indicators turned out to be in the expected range. The area under the curve (AUC) for the ED Scale was 0.86, and therefore emerged on a par with the AUC = 0.90 of the MSI-BPD. As required, analyses for both measures revealed equal and high values for sensitivity, as well as corresponding low negative predictive values. There was, however, a lower degree of specificity on the ED Scale as compared to the MSI-BPD.

CONCLUSION

The results support the assumption that ED is a core feature of BPD, but should also be taken into account in the assessment and treatment of other mental disorders.