preprints.org > medicine and pharmacology > psychiatry and mental health > doi: 10.20944/preprints202409.1755.v1

Preprint Article Version 1 This version is not peer-reviewed

Version 1 : Received: 20 September 2024 / Approved: 23 September 2024 / Online: 23 September 2024 (12:54:49 CEST)

Background and Objectives: Fifty percent of individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) experience Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI). One of the crucial factors related to NSSI is the feeling of emptiness. Although some inner strengths, such as five precepts, meditation, and equanimity, have been identified as potential buffers against negative mental health outcomes in BPD, their role in mediating the relationship between emptiness and NSSI is not well-documented. This study aimed to explore how these inner strengths mediate the relationship between feelings of emptiness and NSSI in individuals with BPD symptoms. Materials and Methods: A total of 302 participants with BPD symptoms completed several assessments: the SCID-II Personality Disorder (Borderline PD) to assess feelings of emptiness and NSSI, the Inner-Strength-Based Inventory (i-SBI) to evaluate five precepts, meditation, and equanimity, and the Outcome Inventory Depression (OI-Dep) to assess depression. Mediation analysis was performed using IBM SPSS and AMOS, with NSSI as the outcome variable, feelings of emptiness as the predictor, and the inner strengths as mediators. Results: The participants had a mean age of 36.56, with 65.4% being female. The analysis showed that five precepts, meditation, and equanimity significantly mediated the relationship between feelings of emptiness and NSSI, with a standardized coefficient of β = 0.534 (95% CI = 0.417 to 0.647, p < 0.001). The indirect effect of emptiness through these inner strengths was significant (β = 0.034, 95% CI = 0.009 to 0.075, p = 0.005). The mediation model explained 38% of the variance in NSSI with a 3% increase, albeit small but significant. Conclusions: The study highlights a negative mediating role of inner strengths in the relationship between feelings of emptiness and NSSI meaning that as these inner strengths increase, the direct impact of feelings of emptiness on NSSI decreases. This suggests that these inner strengths act as protective factors, reducing the likelihood that someone with feelings of emptiness will resort to NSSI as a coping mechanism. These findings suggest that targeting these inner strengths could be a valuable strategy in developing interventions aimed at reducing NSSI by addressing the underlying emotional challenges associated with BPD.

emptiness; non-suicidal self-injury; borderline personality disorder symptoms; five precepts; meditation; equanimity

Medicine and Pharmacology, Psychiatry and Mental Health

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