RELATIVE EFFECTS OF MALADAPTIVE TRAITS AND ANXIETY MINDSET ON BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER SYMPTOMS

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a relatively common and debilitating mental health condition. Research has indicated associations between maladaptive personality traits and BPD. A separate line of work suggests that beliefs about how much one's anxiety can change (i.e., anxiety mindset) may influence a wide range of mental health symptoms, many of which people with BPD often exhibit. We begin to integrate these two perspectives in the current study by evaluating the relative effects of maladaptive personality traits and anxiety mindset on BPD symptoms in a large sample of undergraduates (N = 998). Results indicate that traits and mindsets are independent statistical predictors of BPD symptoms. These findings suggest that both maladaptive traits and anxiety mindset are relevant to BPD, which may inform future research on the connections between personality processes and BPD as well as clinical intervention.