Borderline Personality Traits Predict Poorer Functioning During Partial Hospitalization: The Mediating Role of Depressive Symptomatology

A number of factors contribute to the difficulty providers experience in treating borderline personality disorder (BPD). One complicating factor for treatment effectiveness is the presence of comorbid affective psychopathology (e.g., depression, anxiety). Participants were 176 adults (60 % female; M _age = 32.20) in a partial hospital program. Using a mediation model, the current study examined the relationship among traits of BPD, affective symptomatology, and general functioning post-treatment. Additional analyses explored whether change in the perception of therapeutic skill implementation moderated the relationship among traits of BPD, affective symptomatology, and general functioning. Little improvement/worsening of depression during partial hospitalization, but not changes in anxiety, mediated the relationship between traits of BPD and poor general functioning. Additionally, regardless of changes in perception of cognitive- or dialectical-behavioral skill implementation, little improvement/worsening depressive symptomatology continued to mediate the negative relationship noted above. This study has important implications for treatment of BPD and suggests that targeting depressive symptoms in short-term settings may be crucial in acute stabilization.