Borderline personality disorder features and pain: the mediating role of negative affect in a pain patient sample.

OBJECTIVES: There is considerable evidence that personality disorders, including borderline personality disorder (BPD), tend to co-occur with chronic pain. There is also evidence that mood disorders co-occur with chronic pain conditions. Given the central role of affective instability and negative mood states in BPD, we proposed that affective features of depression, anxiety, and hostility may account for the association between BPD features and the severity of pain reported in a patient sample.

METHODS: Seven hundred seventy-seven patient participants completed the Battery for Health Improvement. This included measures of DSM-IV BPD features, affect scales (depression, anxiety, hostility), and pain items assessing the severity of pain and somatic symptoms.

RESULTS: As predicted, individuals with higher levels of BPD features reported greater severity of pain and somatic complaints, including higher levels of maximum and minimum pain levels in the past month. In addition as predicted, this association was no longer significant after controlling for affect scales. In particular, depression was strongest in accounting for this association.

DISCUSSION: These results indicate that the association between BPD features and pain is accounted for by negative affect, primarily in the form of depression. This is consistent with current theoretical perspectives on BPD. This also suggests that clinicians observing or detecting BPD features among pain patients should consider negative affect, especially depression, in addressing these issues.