Larivière Nadine, Corbière Marc, Robitaille-Beaumier Eve-Lyne, David Pierre, Cailhol Lionel
School of Rehabilitation, Université de Sherbrooke, 3001, 12e avenue Nord, Sherbrooke, QC, J1H 5N4, Canada.
Department of Education and Pedagogy, Université du Québec à Montréal, 1205, rue Saint-Denis, Montréal, QC, H2X 3R9, Canada.
Borderline Personal Disord Emot Dysregul. 2025 May 14;12(1):18. doi: 10.1186/s40479-025-00293-4.
People with borderline personality disorder (BPD) often experience instability in their career paths. Previous studies have mainly focused on their challenges in work participation. There has been limited attention on their job tenure strategies. This qualitative study aimed to identify job tenure strategies of people with BPD who are currently employed.
Between November 2021 and March 2024, participants completed an online survey combining questionnaires and qualitative open-ended questions covering eleven themes, such as task management, adherence to workplace rules and self-perception of competence. The sample comprised 103 women, 22 men, and five non-binary persons, with an average age of 35. In addition to BPD, about half of the participants reported co-occurring diagnoses, such as anxiety disorders. For 54% of participants, their current primary job was aligned with their formal training. For 65%, it corresponded to their personal interests, and for 83%, with their competencies.
To maintain well-being and performance at work, participants reported using strategies that involved balancing work and daily life through stable routines and health-supporting lifestyle habits. Key strategies enabling work functioning focused on self-regulation, cultivating positive workplace relationships, as well as task and time management. Organizing a calm work environment that facilitates concentration, using stress reduction and emotional regulation techniques, and seeking support from colleagues and managers were frequent examples.
The findings highlight a variety of self-directed, interpersonal and task-related actions that people with BPD use to maintain job tenure when employed. These personalized strategies can enrich the development of sustainable work reintegration interventions. Future research should examine the empirical effectiveness of these strategies and explore additional job tenure factors, such as work accommodations tailored to the needs of people with BPD.
边缘型人格障碍（BPD）患者的职业道路往往不稳定。以往的研究主要关注他们在工作参与方面的挑战。对他们的在职期限策略关注有限。这项定性研究旨在确定目前在职的BPD患者的在职期限策略。
在2021年11月至2024年3月期间，参与者完成了一项在线调查，该调查结合了问卷和涵盖11个主题的定性开放式问题，如任务管理、遵守工作场所规则和对能力的自我认知。样本包括103名女性、22名男性和5名非二元性别者，平均年龄为35岁。除了BPD，约一半的参与者报告有共病诊断，如焦虑症。54%的参与者目前的主要工作与他们的正规培训相符。65%的工作与他们的个人兴趣相符，83%的工作与他们的能力相符。
为了在工作中保持幸福感和工作表现，参与者报告采用了一些策略，包括通过稳定的日常安排和支持健康的生活方式习惯来平衡工作和日常生活。使工作得以顺利开展的关键策略集中在自我调节、培养积极的工作场所人际关系以及任务和时间管理上。营造一个有助于集中注意力的平静工作环境、使用减压和情绪调节技巧以及寻求同事和经理的支持是常见的例子。
研究结果突出了BPD患者在就业时用于维持在职期限的各种自我导向、人际和与任务相关的行动。这些个性化策略可以丰富可持续工作重新融入干预措施的发展。未来的研究应检验这些策略的实证有效性，并探索其他在职期限因素，如根据BPD患者需求定制的工作便利措施。
