The Role of Guilt and Shame in Psychosocial Functioning in a Sample of Women With Borderline Personality Disorder.

Individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) experience significant and pervasive impairment in interpersonal, social, and vocational functioning, and accumulating evidence suggests that impairments in functioning often persist despite significant decreases in symptom severity. Previous research indicates that shame-proneness and guilt-proneness are associated with symptoms of BPD that can affect functioning (such as aggression toward others), but very few studies have examined the impact of shame-proneness and guilt-proneness on validated measures of psychosocial functioning. Forty women with BPD completed measures of shame-proneness and guilt-proneness, psychosocial functioning, and BPD symptom severity. Results from multiple regression analyses indicate that women with BPD who tend to experience higher levels of shame-proneness and lower levels of guilt-proneness report poor performance in school and work settings and in interpersonal relationships. Strengths of the study include the use of a validated measure of functioning as the primary outcome. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Gender differences in sexual assault victimization among college students.

College students are at particular risk for sexual assault victimization, yet research tends to focus on women as victims and men as perpetrators. The purpose of this study was to investigate gender differences in the prevalence, context, and predictors of sexual assault victimization among college students. Results showed that women were significantly more likely to have been sexually assaulted in a 2-month time period, but the context of victimization varied little by gender. Victimization was predicted by sexual orientation, time spent socializing and partying, and severe dating violence victimization for men and by year in school, time spent on the Internet, drinking and using drugs, and being a stalking and dating violence victim for women. Results are discussed in the context of routine activities theory and implications for prevention and future research.

Reactivity to negative affect in smokers: the role of implicit associations and distress tolerance in smoking cessation.

Avoidance of negative affect is one motivational factor that explains smoking cessation relapse during cessation attempts. This negative reinforcement model of smoking cessation and relapse has demonstrated the importance of one's ability to tolerate nicotine withdrawal symptoms, particularly negative affect states, in remaining abstinent from smoking. Distress tolerance and implicit associations are two individual constructs that may influence the strength of this relationship. In this pilot study the authors examined implicit associations related to avoidance and negative affect using a modified Implicit Association Test (IAT), a measure designed to examine implicit associations related to negative affect and avoidance, and the relationship of these associations to distress tolerance and smoking relapse. In total, 40 participants were recruited through community flyers as part of a larger smoking cessation study. Participants completed a brief smoking history, behavioral distress tolerance assessments, and the modified IAT. Smoking status was assessed via phone 3days and 6days post-quit date. Results from a Cox proportional hazard model revealed that implicit associations between avoidance and negative affect were significantly negatively correlated with time to relapse after a smoking cessation attempt, whereas the behavioral distress tolerance assessments did not predict time to relapse. This study provides novel information about the cognitive associations that may underlie avoidant behavior in smokers, and may be important for understanding smoking relapse when negative affect states are particularly difficult to tolerate. Authors discuss the importance of implicit associations in understanding smoking relapse and how they can be targeted in treatment.