Borderline personality features and pain severity: Exploring the mediational role of depression and catastrophizing

The co-occurrence of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and chronic pain has prompted research designed to identify potential connective mechanisms. The present study sought to replicate and extend the work of Tragesser, Bruns, and Disorbio (2010) who examined depression as a potential mediator of the link between BPD and pain in a nonclinical sample. A three-path mediation model of the sequence: BP features → depression → pain catastrophizing → pain severity provided the working hypothesis for the present study. Mediational analyses, employing percentile bootstrapping, revealed a significant three-path mediated effect. The present study not only successfully replicated the findings of Tragesser, Bruns, & Disorbio (2010), but, by including pain catastrophizing, expands our nascent understanding of how key individual differences mediate the BPD-pain severity connection. Theoretical and clinical implications and limitations of the present findings are discussed.