Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy On Emotional Regulation, Impulsivity And Interpersonal Functioning In Adolescents With Borderline Personality Traits

Abstract

Objective: To assess the efficacy of CBT on emotion regulation, impulsivity, and interpersonal functioning in teenagers with borderline personality traits. Background: Palmtop borderlines (PTB; subthreshold Borderline Personality Disorder, BPD) in adolescents are characterized by severe emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, and troubled relationships and are likely to have low school performance as well as high risk for self-injury. CBT is beneficial for these symptoms; however, little research has examined the efficacy of CBT in adolescents. Method: This was a case-control study on adolescents aged 14 to 18 in Khyber Teaching Hospital Peshawar. Non-probability consecutive sampling was used in the study. Participants all had BPD traits and were divided into two groups: 64 adolescents who received CBT (cases) and 63 who received treatment as usual (controls). Demographic information, clinical data, and psychological data (obtained through standardized tools, including the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), and Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP-32)) were obtained. Follow-up evaluations were performed at 12 weeks after the intervention. The statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS, version 24, including paired t-tests, independent t-tests, and effect size values. Results: The CBT group exhibited improved emotional regulation with a mean DERS score reduction from 112.3±18.4 to 89.7±15.2 (p<0.001, Cohen's d=1.34). Scores of impulsivity (BIS-11) decreased from 78.6±12.1 to 65.4±10.8 (p<0.001, Cohen's d=1.15). On the IIP-32, interpersonal functioning improved from 95.8±16.7 to 74.2±13.9 (p< 0.001, Cohen's d=1.42). There was no difference in the control group in both measurements. There were distinct between-group analyses in favor of the CBT intervention (p<0.001 for all outcomes). Conclusions: CBT is effective at positively modifying emotional regulation, reducing impulsivity, and increasing interpersonal function in adolescents with borderline characteristics. These results support the placement of CBT as a first-line treatment for adolescents with BPF.