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Mindfulness skills in borderline personality disorder patients during dialectical behavior therapy: Preliminary results

Year: 2012

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: One of the components of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is the use of mindfulness skills as a core component of treatment for subjects with borderline personality disorder (BPD). In this study, we investigated changes in and correlates of mindfulness skills over a 1-year follow-up including a 4-week session of intensive DBT followed by 10 months of standard DBT. METHODS: Fifty-two BPD subjects were assessed several times using the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS) which describes mindfulness in four discrete dimensions: observing (Obs), describing (Des), acting with awareness (AwA) and accepting without judgment (AwJ). RESULTS: AwJ was the only dimension that increased significantly over time after adjustment for potential confounding factors (β = 0.24; P = 0.0002). Increases in AwJ correlated with improvement in BPD symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the usefulness of investigating changes in mindfulness dimensions during DBT. AwJ is a possible mechanism for positive change. Encouraging this skill should lead to a more adaptive response to problematic situations and counteract impulsive and problematic behaviors. The lack of specific control groups means that these findings are preliminary and replication is required.

Source: International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice

DOI: 10.3109/13651501.2012.674531

Authors: Nader Perroud, Rosetta Nicastro, Françoise Jermann, Philippe Huguelet

Institution: University Hospital of Geneva

Language: English

Topic: Personality Disorders and Psychopathology

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funder: Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India