The following is a summary of “Altered emotional response pattern related to complex trauma in patients with borderline personality disorder,” published in the August 2023 issue of Psychiatry by Lopez-Villatoro et al.

Researchers performed a retrospective study using an International Affective Picture System (IAPS) to explore emotional patterns in borderline personality disorder (BPD) patients with complex trauma. The study assessed 50 BPD patients and 39 controls using IAPS and Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM). BPD patients’ attachment, trauma, and statistical links were examined.

The outcome resulted as significant distinctions (P< .01) existed between BPD and control patients in emotional responses (pleasant, unpleasant, neutral), except for arousal in pleasant images. Traumatic experiences linked positively to happiness (P= .057) and arousal (P= .058) in respective image categories. We observed poorer maternal bonding correlated with lower happiness (P< .01), dominance (P< .05) in pleasant images, and all emotional responses in unpleasant images (P< .01).

The study verifies altered emotional responses in borderline personality disorder (BPD) patients, resembling depression for pleasant images. Unpleasant image reactions possibly link to complex trauma, including PTSD-like experiences like abuse and attachment trauma.

Source: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37565308/