The Mediating Role of Adult Attachment in the Relationship Between Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms and Romantic Relational Aggression and Victimization

Dudek, Zoey

The Mediating Role of Adult Attachment in the Relationship Between Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms and Romantic Relational Aggression and Victimization

Persistent URL

https://dspace.allegheny.edu/handle/10456/56031

Author(s)

Dudek, Zoey

Date Issued

November 14, 2022

Abstract

This study aimed to expand the literature on the role that attachment played in the relationship between borderline symptoms and relational aggression and victimization in romantic relationships. The study was conducted online at a small liberal arts college in the northeastern U.S.. Participants consisted of college students (N = 32, M student age = 19.4, 87.5% female, 9.4% male, 3.1% other) who were recruited through SONA and the Psychology department at Allegheny College. Participants were asked to complete three different questionnaires on SurveyMonkey assessing (1) borderline personality disorder symptoms, (2) adult attachment, and (3) romantic relational aggression/victimization. Three hypotheses were made: Hypothesis 1was that participants who reported more BPD symptoms would also report more anxious adult attachment styles. To test Hypothesis 1, a Pearson’s correlation was conducted. The correlation between BPD symptoms and anxious adult attachment style was significant (r = .77, p <.001); participants who reported higher levels of BPD symptoms also reported higher levels of anxious adult attachment. Hypothesis 2 was that participants who reported more BPD symptoms would also report more romantic relational aggression and romantic relational victimization. To test Hypothesis 2, two Pearson’s correlations were performed in JASP to measure the degree of association between BPD symptoms and (a) romantic relational aggression and (b) romantic relational victimization. The correlation between BPD symptoms and relational aggression was significant (r = .45, p = .01); greater BPD symptoms were correlated with higher levels of romantic relational aggression. There was a positive correlation between BPD symptoms and romantic relational victimization, however the p-value was not significant (r = .26, p = .15); people reporting higher BPD symptoms did not show a consistent pattern in their level of romantic relational victimization. Finally, Hypothesis 3 was that the relationship between BPD symptoms and romantic relational aggression and victimization would be explained by participant anxious adult attachment styles and would be tested through a mediation analysis. Hypothesis 3 was not tested. The planned analysis involving romantic relational aggression was not completed because the reliability for this measure was low (α = 0.41). For the planned analysis involving romantic relational victimization, although the reliability was high (α = 0.84), the p-value was not significant for the correlation between BPD symptoms and relational victimization (p = .15), meaning there is no association for attachment to mediate.

Major

Psychology

Honors

Psychology, 2023

First Reader(s)

Stanger, Sarah B.