Self-Esteem and Anger in Borderline Patients With Self-Injury Behavior

Cybervictimization and non-suicidal self-injury among Chinese adolescents: A longitudinal moderated mediation model

BACKGROUND

Cybervictimization is a risk factor for nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). However, there is a lack of evidence on how and under what conditions cybervictimization may influence NSSI. The present study investigated the mediating effect of self-esteem and the moderating effect of peer attachment on the relationship between cybervictimization and NSSI among Chinese adolescents.

METHODS

Using three-wave longitudinal data for one year, a total of 1368 Chinese adolescents (60 % boys; M_age at Wave 1 = 15.05 years, SD = 0.85) completed the measurement using a self-report method.

RESULTS

The longitudinal moderated mediation model revealed that cybervictimization is associated with NSSI via restraining the protective effect of self-esteem. Moreover, high peer attachment could buffer the negative effects of cybervictimization, and protect their self-esteem from being hurt, consequently reducing the likelihood of NSSI.

LIMITATIONS

All variables in this study were self-reported, and the results should be cautiously generalized to other cultures, according to a sample of Chinese adolescents.

CONCLUSIONS

Results highlight the relation between cybervictimization and NSSI. Recommended intervention and prevention strategies include enhancing the self-esteem of adolescents, breaking the cycle of cybervictimization to NSSI, and providing adolescents with more opportunities to build positive friendships with their peers to buffer the negative effects of cybervictimization.

Differential diagnosis of borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder: Self-concept, identity and self-esteem

Symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and bipolar disorder (BD) often overlap. In some cases, it is difficult to conduct a differential diagnosis based only on current diagnostic criteria Therefore, it is important to find clinical factors with high discriminatory specificity that, used together with structured or semi-structured interviews, could help improve diagnostic practice. We propose that a clinical analysis of identity, self-concept and self-esteem may help distinguish the two disorders, when they are not co-morbid. Our review of the studies that analyse these constructs in BD and BPD, separately, points in the direction of qualitative differences between the two disorders. In BPD, there is a well-documented identity diffusion, and the self-concept appears predominantly negative; shifts in self-concept and self-esteem are often tied to interpersonal triggers. In BD, patients struggle with their identity, but narrative identity might be less compromised compared with BPD; the shifts in self-concept and self-esteem appear more linked to internal (i.e. mood and motivational) factors. We end the paper by discussing the implications for clinicians and ideas for future comparative research.

The identification of a risk profile for young people with borderline personality pathology: a review of recent literature

The shift towards early intervention in borderline personality disorder (BPD) has introduced a clinical staging approach in the treatment for young persons with BPD. Complementary to staging is profiling: the identification of psychological, social and biological risk variables that may predict prognosis. The aim of this paper is to provide a risk profile for BPD by systematically reviewing literature on potential risk markers for poor prognosis for BPD. An extensive literature search revealed evidence for seven categories of risk factors: adverse childhood experiences, BPD symptom profile, associated mental disorders, personality impairments and traits, current interpersonal context, biological disposition and socio-demographics. Including these markers within the current staging approach, to compose individual risk profiles for poor BPD prognosis, may assist in personalizing treatment for young people with BPD and in refining research protocols for treatment outcome studies.

Mediating effects of self-esteem in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and non-suicidal self-injury among adolescents: The roles of sex and only-child status

RATIONALE

Although childhood maltreatment is known to be associated with non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), few studies have investigated the mediating effect of self-esteem on this relationship. Additionally, it is unknown whether the impacts vary by sex or only-child status.

OBJECTIVE

We investigated the mediating effects of self-esteem on the relationship between childhood maltreatment and NSSI in adolescents and identified the significance of sex and only child status.

METHOD

An adolescent health survey was conducted in 15 schools in China between 2013 and 2014. In total, 9704 students aged 11-19 years completed standard questionnaires to report the details of childhood maltreatment, NSSI, and self-esteem.

RESULTS

Childhood maltreatment was negatively correlated with self-esteem and positively correlated with the frequency of NSSI. Lower self-esteem was also correlated with higher NSSI frequency. Self-esteem mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and NSSI, and the estimated ratio of the total effect of childhood maltreatment that could be explained by mediation through self-esteem was 16.3%. The ratio was higher in boys (28.6%) than in girls (9.9%), and it was higher in only children (31.5%) than in children with siblings (11.0%).

CONCLUSIONS

Childhood maltreatment is positively correlated with the frequency of NSSI and may be mediated by self-esteem. Interventions aimed at reducing NSSI associated with childhood maltreatment may be enhanced by efforts to strengthen self-esteem, especially in boys and only children.

Self-aggression, reactive aggression, and spontaneous aggression: Mediating effects of self-esteem and psychopathology

This study examined whether the associations between self-aggression and different forms of externalized aggression (reactive and spontaneous aggression) are influenced by self-esteem and current psychopathological symptoms. For this purpose, we asked 681 participants from the general population (GP) and 282 general psychiatric patients (PPs) to answer the German versions of the Short Questionnaire for Assessing Factors of Aggression (K-FAF), the Multidimensional Self-Esteem Scale (MSWS), and the Brief Symptom Inventory 25 Forensic (BSI-25-F). Statistically, we performed descriptive and mediation analyses. Our findings indicated that in both samples the association between self-aggression and reactive aggression was mediated by self-esteem but not by current psychological problems. The association between self-aggression and spontaneous aggression was mediated by self-esteem in the GP sample and by psychopathological symptoms in the PP sample. We conclude that when examining the association between self-aggression and externalized aggression it is important to consider the various subtypes of externalized aggression and differences between populations.