Mental Health World Conference 2026

Abstract

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe and complex psychiatric condition associated with significant functional impairment and elevated suicide risk. Two constructs central to understanding BPD pathology are object relations (OR) functioning and emotion regulation (ER). These constructs are theoretically intertwined, with early relational disruption thought to undermine the development of emotion regulation capacity. Despite their conceptual overlap, the independent contributions of OR dysfunction and emotion dysregulation to BPD symptom severity and suicidal ideation remain poorly understood, particularly in clinical inpatient samples. The present study examined whether these constructs each uniquely predict BPD symptom severity and self reported suicide risk after controlling for age.

Participants were adult inpatients at The Menninger Clinic (N is equal to 160 analytic n is equal to 59 to 101). Preliminary analyses examined age, sex, and race as potential covariates; only age was significantly associated with both outcome variables and was retained as a covariate in all regression models. OR functioning was assessed using the Bell Object Relations and Reality Testing Inventory (BORRTI), and emotion dysregulation was measured using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale  Short Form (DERS SF). BPD symptom severity was indexed by criterion count derived from the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders (SCID), and suicide risk was assessed using the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire Revised (SBQ R). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted with age entered in Step 1, DERS SF total score in Step 2, and BORRTI total score in Step 3.