Examining Negative Thinking Styles and Thought Control Strategies Within Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) has been linked separately to several forms of repetitive negative thinking and thought control. The purpose of the current study was to investigate these constructs together to better understand how BPD is linked to the engagement in repetitive thinking and thought control styles. Oversampling for BPD symptoms, the current study utilized a college student sample (N = 175; 74.0% female; mean age 21.10; 77.9% Caucasian) who completed measures to assess BPD, four types of repetitive negative thinking (i.e., anger rumination, sadness rumination, worry, catastrophizing), and three types of thought control strategies (i.e., thought suppression, brooding, and reflection). A series of path analyses were conducted. Results demonstrated that BPD directly predicted catastrophizing, worry, anger rumination, sadness rumination, and thought suppression, indirectly predicted thought suppression through worry, indirectly predicted brooding through all four types of RNT, and indirectly predicted reflection through anger and sadness rumination. Future research is needed to identify other potential negative thinking styles and thought control strategies that may be influencing the presentation of BPD and which of these dysregulated and maladaptive cognitive constructs may be transdiagnostic in nature. Investigating the link between thinking styles and thought control strategies provides a more in-depth and nuanced understanding of how they are linked with BPD, and this may be information for cognitive-focused treatment strategies and techniques.