Date of Graduation

12-2016

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education (PhD)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders

Advisor/Mentor

Farley, Roy C.

Committee Member

Higgins, Kristin K.

Second Committee Member

Lusk, Stephanie L.

Third Committee Member

Wallace, Sam L.

Keywords

Social sceinces; Psychology; Health and environmental sciences; Education; Anxiety; Attachment styles; Avoidance; Borderline personality disorder; Propensity to trust; Trust

Abstract

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is one of the most frequently encountered and complex disorders in mental health care. Interpersonal impairment is a central issue for individuals with BPD. This complex disorder has received negative stigma along with historically more females than males receiving this diagnosis (Linehan, 1993). Therefore, this study examined a clinical sample of 30 females diagnosed with BPD. Through the collection of data this study used the following measures: a basic demographic questionnaire gathering specific age, ethnicity, current relationship status, parental relationship status, the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale (ECR; Brennan, Clark & Shaver, 1998), and the Propensity to Trust Scale (PTS; Frazier, Johnson, & Fainshmidt, 2013). The data was evaluated through descriptive statistics, a Shapiro-Wilk’s Test of Normality, a Kurkal-Wallis H test, and a Spearman’s rho correlation. Two tailed Cronbach’s =.05 level was used as the significance standard for all statistical procedures. As hypothesized, rs(28) = -.375, p = .041, the data indicated a significant negative correlation between avoidance and propensity to trust in females with BPD. Additionally, congruent with previous meta-analytic research findings (Agrawal, Gunderson, Holmes, & Lyons-Ruth, 2004), the majority of participants 93% reported an insecure style of attachment with preoccupied as the most frequent style of attachment reported. The following manuscript examines attachment styles and propensity to trust in females with BPD; clinical implications and future research are discussed.

Keywords: borderline personality disorder, attachment styles, propensity to trust, avoidance, anxiety

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