邊緣型人格特質對憂鬱之影響：以情緒調節困難與知覺為他人負擔感為序列中介

The Impact of Borderline Personality Features on Depression: A Serial Mediation Model of Emotion Dysregulation and Perceived Burdensomeness

研究目的：邊緣型人格特質指個體在人際、自我形象與情感上不穩定，情緒調節困難為其核心特徵。知覺為他人的負擔感指個體認為自身是他人的累贅，屬於負向人際認知，亦為憂鬱的重要預測因子。本研究探討邊緣型人格特質與憂鬱的關聯性，並檢驗情緒調節困難與知覺為他人的負擔感的序列中介作用。研究方法：本研究招募339名18–30歲在學學生填寫人格評估量表—邊緣型特質子量表、情緒調節困難量表、人際需求量表及貝克憂鬱量表第二版。研究結果：（1）邊緣型人格特質、知覺為他人的負擔感與憂鬱均呈顯著正相關。（2）情緒調節困難在邊緣型人格特質與知覺為他人的負擔感間具中介效果。（3）情緒調節困難與知覺為他人的負擔感在邊緣型人格特質與憂鬱間具序列中介效果。研究結論：本研究揭示情緒調節困難與知覺為他人的負擔感在邊緣型人格特質與憂鬱間的中介角色，提出一條可能的「情緒—人際」序列路徑，以說明邊緣型人格特質與憂鬱之共病機制。

Purpose: Borderline personality features (BPF) are characterized by instability in interpersonal relationships, self-perception, and emotional expression, with emotional dysregulation as a central component. This instability can lead to interpersonal challenges and increased perceived burdensomeness (PB), in which individuals view themselves as a burden to others. This perception is a recognized form of interpersonal stress and a significant predictor of depressive states. Although prior research has established associations among BPF, PB, and depression, the underlying psychological mechanisms linking these constructs remain insufficiently specified. We focused on PB due to its central role in interpersonal stress and its theoretical relevance in the interpersonal theory framework, which emphasizes between-person interactions over internal drives. We examined the sequential mediating roles of emotional dysregulation and perceived burdensomeness in the relationship between BPF and depression in order to contribute to a transdiagnostic understanding of emotional and interpersonal processes, in contrast to the traditional focus on diagnosis. Methods: We recruited a total of 339 participants (aged 18 to 30) for the study. Each participant completed the Personality Assessment Inventory-Borderline Features Scale (PAI-BOR), the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ), and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). We employed Spearman’s correlation analysis to assess the interconnections between variables, and regression analysis to determine the predictive capacity of each variable. Additionally, we conducted mediation analyses to evaluate the mediating role of emotional dysregulation in the relationship between BPF and perceived burdensomeness, as well as the sequential mediation effects of emotional dysregulation and perceived burdensomeness in the relationship between BPF and depression. Results: We identified 4 key findings: (1) BPF is a positive predictor of both PB and depression. (2) PB is a positive predictor of depression. (3) Emotional dysregulation acts as a mediator between BPF and PB. (4) Emotional dysregulation and PB sequentially mediate the relationship between BPF and depression. Conclusions: Our findings not only replicate and extend prior evidence regarding the roles of emotional dysregulation and PB, but also provide novel support for a sequential emotional-interpersonal pathway linking BPF to depression. These findings suggest that interventions targeting emotion regulation difficulties and maladaptive interpersonal perceptions (e.g., perceived burdensomeness) may help reduce depressive symptoms in individuals with elevated BPF. These findings provide partial support for the interpersonal theory framework by highlighting the role of perceived burdensomeness in depressive processes. We recommend future longitudinal studies to further examine causal pathways and enhance clinical applicability.