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The Impact of Rejection Sensitivity and Interpersonal Aggression on Social Network Characteristics in Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder Features

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The Impact of Rejection Sensitivity and Interpersonal Aggression on Social Network Characteristics in Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder Features The Impact of Rejection Sensitivity and Interpersonal Aggression on Social Network Characteristics in Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder Features Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Sophie Anna Lazarus Graduate Program in Psychology The Ohio State University 2011 Master's Examination Committee: Dr. Jennifer S. Cheavens, Advisor Dr. Daniel R. Strunk Dr. Michael W. Vasey Copyrighted by Sophie Anna Lazarus 2011 Abstract Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious mental health problem, which is associated with high rates of health care utilization and cost (Skodol et al., 2005) and severe functional impairment (Skodol et al., 2002). Although various domains of functioning are affected, interpersonal dysfunction is often cited as central to the disorder (Gunderson, 2007). In addition, interpersonal stress is related to increased likelihood of self-harm (Welch & Linehan, 2002) and has been cited a trigger for suicide attempts (Brodsky, Groves, Oquendo, Mann, & Stanley, 2006). The aim of the present study was to investigate factors contributing to lower quality social networks in BPD. Specifically, we examined whether rejection sensitivity had its impact on social network quality (size, satisfaction, and stability) through interpersonal aggression, and whether BPD features moderated these relations. Participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing interpersonal aggression, BPD features, and rejection sensitivity over one month and provided information about the individuals in their social networks and characteristics of those relationships. As hypothesized, rejection sensitivity exerted an indirect effect on social network satisfaction through interpersonal aggression. However, this effect was not conditional upon levels of BPD symptoms. BPD features at baseline were related to some indices of instability, such as having cut off speaking to partners in one’s network at one month, and markers of network quality such as, closeness, and support among the partners listed in one’s network at one month. ii Acknowledgments First, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Jennifer Cheavens. I am extremely thankful for her guidance, support, and enthusiasm throughout all of the stages of this project. Jen, thank you for sharing your time, knowledge, and creativity with me, your investment in my personal and academic success has meant the world to me. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Michael Vasey and Dr. Daniel Strunk, for their time and consideration during this project. Their feedback on the design and analyses of the study, have improved it immensely. I also want to thank Dr. Cudeck, for his time and patience in helping with the preparation of the social network data and his guidance in using SAS for data analysis. I also could not have completed this project without the help of Star Hess and Victoria Alexander, who played an important role data collection and follow-up over the past year. Finally, I would like to thank the graduate students of the MAPS lab for their help with data collection and their support and encouragement throughout this process. iii Vita October 1985 ..................................................Born – Bronx, New York 2007................................................................B.A. Psychology, Suma Cum Laude, University of Delaware 2009 to present ..............................................Graduate Student and Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University Fields of Study Major Field: Psychology Minor Field: Quantitative Psychology iv Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. iii Vita ..................................................................................................................................... iv List of Tables .................................................................................................................... vii List of Figures .................................................................................................................. viii Chapters 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Interpersonal Functioning in BPD .......................................................................... 3 1.2 Social Interaction and Characteristics of Social Networks in BPD ........................ 8 1.3 Rejection Sensitivity ............................................................................................. 14 1.4 Aggression in BPD ............................................................................................... 21 1.5 Current Study ........................................................................................................ 26 2. Methods........................................................................................................................ 28 2.1 Participants ............................................................................................................ 28 2.2 Measures/Instrumentation ..................................................................................... 29 v 2.3 Study Procedure .................................................................................................... 33 3. Results ........................................................................................................................... 36 3.1 Data Analytic Plan and Preparation ...................................................................... 36 3.2 Descriptive Results ............................................................................................... 41 3.3 Hypothesis Testing................................................................................................ 42 3.4 Hypothesis 1.......................................................................................................... 42 3.5 Hypothesis 2.......................................................................................................... 42 3.6 Hypothesis 3.......................................................................................................... 46 3.7 Supplementary Analyses ....................................................................................... 48 4. Discussion .................................................................................................................... 51 References ......................................................................................................................... 63 Appendix A: Social Network Assessment ........................................................................ 75 Appendix B: Tables .......................................................................................................... 80 Appendix C: Mediation and Moderated Mediation Models ............................................. 91 vi List of Tables Table 1. Means, Standard Deviations, and Intercorrelations Among Network and Personality Variables for Main Analyses ......................................................................... 81 Table 2. Network Characteristics Averaged Across Partners at Baseline and One Month ........................................................................................................................................... 82 Table 3. Network Composition and Overall Characteristics at Baseline and One Month ........................................................................................................................................... 83 Table 4. Summary of Simple Regression Analyses for Baseline Rejection Sensitivity Predicting Social Network Quality Characteristics at One-Month ................................... 84 Table 5. : Summary of Simple Regression Analyses for Rejection Sensitivity at Baseline Predicting Aggression at One week .................................................................................. 85 Table 6. : Summary of Simple Regression Analyses for Aggression at One Week Predicting Social Network Quality at One-Month............................................................ 86 Table 7. : Test of Moderated Mediation of a1 Path by BPD Symptoms ........................... 87 Table 8. : Test of Moderated Mediation of b1 Path by BPD Symptoms ........................... 88 Table 9. : Intercorrelations between BPD Symptoms, Stability and Other Network Characteristics for Supplementary Analyses .................................................................... 89 Table 10. : Intercorrelations between BPD Symptoms, Stability, and Partner Characteristics ................................................................................................................... 90 vii List of Figures Figure 1. Timing of Administration for Measures ............................................................ 76 Figure 2. Model of Simple Mediation............................................................................... 92 Figure 3. Proposed Simple Mediation ............................................................................. 92 Figure 4. Model of Moderated Mediation........................................................................
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