Perceived Parental Criticism Exacerbate Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder Ameliorated by Self-Control in Young Adults

This study investigated the relationship between perceived parental criticism (PPC) and symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD) attenuated by self-control (SC) in young adults. A convenient sample of 139 women and 111 men (N = 250), university students, with an age range of 19 to 30 years (M = 21.34, SD = 1.81) were asked to complete Family Emotional Involvement and Criticism Scale (FEICS, Shields et al., 1992), Brief Self-control Scale (Brief SCS, Tangney et al., 2004), and Borderline Personality Inventory Cut-20 (BPI Cut-20, Leichsenring, 1999). Mediation analyses revealed that PPC did not predict symptoms of BPD directly, however, PPC indirectly did squelch BPD symptoms through SC; PPC negatively and significantly predicted SC, and SC also negatively and significantly predicted BPD symptoms. We will discuss these relationships in clinical contexts where therapy could alter SC in people to reduce their BPD symptoms and perceived parental criticisms.