Background and objectives

Emotional expression (i.e., identifying and labeling emotion using specific words), is theorized to reduce negative emotion and facilitate emotion regulation. However, it remains unclear how individuals with borderline personality disorder express emotion, and whether this influences their emotion regulation. This study examined whether: 1) emotional expression in borderline personality disorder differed from healthy controls based on word valence, emotionality, and vocabulary; and 2) whether such characteristics predict emotion regulation effectiveness across self-reported and physiological emotion domains differentially across these groups.

Methods

Individuals with borderline personality disorder (n = 29) and age and sex-matched healthy controls (n = 30) listened to an evocative story, expressed emotion, and regulated emotion by applying Mindfulness or Cognitive Reappraisal. Emotion regulation was measured by changes in self-report, parasympathetic, and sympathetic emotion, while implementing the emotion regulation strategies. The words used to express emotion were coded based on valence, emotionality, and depth of vocabulary.

Results

Generalized estimating equations revealed no differences between groups in valence, emotionality, and vocabulary. Additionally, using a larger emotional vocabulary predicted more effective sympathetic emotion regulation, and using more negatively valenced words predicted more effective parasympathetic emotion regulation across groups.

Limitations

Among other things, this study is limited by its predominantly female sample, and that it does not determine whether valence, emotionality, or vocabulary independently predict emotional expression effectiveness.

Conclusions

Emotional expression may not be deficient in borderline personality disorder across the indices studied. Using more negative words and broadening vocabulary while expressing emotion may offer emotion regulation benefits.

中文翻译：

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情绪表达的混合方法检查及其对边缘型人格障碍情绪调节有效性的影响

背景和目标

情感表达（即使用特定词语识别和标记情感）在理论上可以减少负面情绪并促进情绪调节。然而，目前尚不清楚边缘型人格障碍患者如何表达情绪，以及这是否会影响他们的情绪调节。本研究检查是否：1）边缘型人格障碍的情绪表达与基于词效、情绪和词汇的健康对照不同；2）这些特征是否在这些群体中不同地预测跨自我报告和生理情绪域的情绪调节有效性。

方法

患有边缘性人格障碍 (n = 29) 和年龄和性别匹配的健康对照组 (n = 30) 的个体通过应用正念或认知重评来聆听一个令人回味的故事、表达情绪和调节情绪。情绪调节通过自我报告、副交感和交感情绪的变化来衡量，同时实施情绪调节策略。用于表达情感的词是根据效价、情感性和词汇深度进行编码的。

结果

广义估计方程显示，组间在效价、情绪和词汇方面没有差异。此外，使用更大的情绪词汇可以预测更有效的交感情绪调节，而使用更多负效价词可以预测更有效的跨组副交感情绪调节。

限制

除其他外，这项研究受到其主要是女性样本的限制，并且它不能确定效价、情绪或词汇是否独立地预测情绪表达的有效性。

结论

在所研究的指数中，情感表达可能并不缺乏边缘型人格障碍。在表达情绪的同时使用更多的负面词和扩大词汇量可能会带来情绪调节的好处。