Korbut Siobhan, Chanen Andrew M, Terrett Gill, Jovev Martina, Rendell Peter G, Henry Julie D, Pizarro-Campagna Elizabeth
School of Psychology, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Orygen, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Psychopathology. 2025;58(3):173-186. doi: 10.1159/000542743. Epub 2024 Dec 10.
Individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) are thought to experience specific biosocial vulnerabilities that give rise to a maladaptive negativity bias in the perception and expression of emotions. However, while this negative bias has been identified in adults with full threshold BPD or high BPD features, it is unclear whether it is evident earlier in the course of the disorder - that being, young persons with first-presentation BPD meeting three or more BPD features, as defined by early intervention models.
The current study compared patterns of facial responding in individuals aged 15-25 years first presenting to a specialist outpatient service with three or more BPD features (n = 32) to age-matched healthy controls (n = 46). Facial electromyography was used to assess muscle activity associated with positive (zygomaticus major) and negative (corrugator supercilii) expression while participants viewed happy, angry, and neutral facial expressions.
The data revealed that negative facial emotional reactivity for the BPD group did not significantly differ from the control group. However, the results for positive emotional reactivity were more nuanced, indicating that while there was not an overall between-group difference, there might be an effect of time suggestive of a slower positive emotional reaction to happy faces by the BPD group.
These data provide initial evidence that negatively biased emotional expression, when responding with negative facial expressions to neutral, happy, or angry faces, is not evident in young persons first presenting to a specialist outpatient service for treatment of BPD. However, a bias may be demonstrated by what appears to be a slower positive affective response to happy faces. The implications of these findings are discussed, particularly in relation to factors associated with chronicity of illness that might potentially contribute to the development of a more pronounced negativity bias later in the course of the illness. We encourage further examination of negativity biases in the developmental sequelae of BPD via longitudinal design or cross-sectional designs that include BPD participants across the course of illness, as well as further research to explore the possibility that positive affective reactions in this group might not be grossly blunted but rather delayed.
边缘型人格障碍（BPD）患者被认为经历了特定的生物社会脆弱性，这在情绪的感知和表达中产生了适应不良的消极偏差。然而，虽然这种消极偏差已在具有完全阈值BPD或高BPD特征的成年人中得到确认，但尚不清楚在该障碍病程的早期——即首次出现BPD且符合早期干预模型所定义的三个或更多BPD特征的年轻人中，这种消极偏差是否明显。
本研究比较了首次到专科门诊就诊、具有三个或更多BPD特征的15至25岁个体（n = 32）与年龄匹配的健康对照者（n = 46）的面部反应模式。在参与者观看快乐、愤怒和中性面部表情时，使用面部肌电图来评估与积极（颧大肌）和消极（皱眉肌）表情相关的肌肉活动。
数据显示，BPD组的负面面部情绪反应性与对照组没有显著差异。然而，积极情绪反应性的结果更为细微，表明虽然总体上组间没有差异，但可能存在时间效应，提示BPD组对快乐面孔的积极情绪反应较慢。
这些数据提供了初步证据，表明首次到专科门诊接受BPD治疗的年轻人在对中性、快乐或愤怒面孔做出负面面部表情反应时，不存在消极偏差的情绪表达。然而，对快乐面孔的积极情感反应似乎较慢，这可能表明存在一种偏差。讨论了这些发现的意义，特别是与疾病慢性化相关的因素，这些因素可能在疾病后期导致更明显的消极偏差的发展。我们鼓励通过纵向设计或横断面设计进一步研究BPD发展后遗症中的消极偏差，横断面设计应包括疾病各阶段的BPD参与者，同时鼓励进一步研究探索该组中积极情感反应可能并非严重迟钝而是延迟的可能性。
