Abstract
BackgroundImpulsivity is considered a core characteristic of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Previous research on the effects of mindfulness training (MT) has shown that it might modify impulsivity-related aspects of BPD. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the impact of MT on various facets of impulsivity in BPD patients.MethodsSubjects with BPD diagnosis (n = 64) were randomly assigned to 10 weeks of MT (n = 32) or interpersonal effectiveness skills training (IE; n = 32). All participants were assessed pre- and post-intervention with a self-reported measure of impulsivity and five behavioral neuropsychological tasks to evaluate response inhibition, tolerance for delay rewards, and time perception.ResultsAn interaction effect of time × group was only observed for some of the behavioral paradigms used. Participants in the MT group improved their ability to delay gratification and showed changes in time perception, consistent with a decrease in impulsivity. No differences were observed between treatments in terms of trait impulsivity and response inhibition.ConclusionsMindfulness training might improve some aspects of impulsivity but not others. Further study is warranted to better determine the effects of mindfulness training on the components of impulsivity.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02397031.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40479-015-0035-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Impulsivity is considered a core characteristic of borderline personality disorder (BPD)
The repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) showed a significant effect of time [F(7, 36) = 2.37, p = .04] for time paradigm scores [F(1, 43) = 7.89, Table 3 Comparison of outcome measures (BIS-11, Continuous Performance Test-II (CPT-II), Time Paradigm, single key impulsivity paradigm (SKIP) and two choice impulsivity paradigm (TCIP)) between participants assigned to mindfulness training (n = 19) and participants assigned to interpersonal effectiveness training (n = 25)
The findings presented here suggest that mindfulness training has an impact on some but not all aspects of impulsivity
Summary
Impulsivity is considered a core characteristic of borderline personality disorder (BPD). All participants were assessed pre- and post-intervention with a self-reported measure of impulsivity and five behavioral neuropsychological tasks to evaluate response inhibition, tolerance for delay rewards, and time perception. The construct of impulsivity is multifaceted and is often used to refer both to a personality trait and a component of neuropsychological functioning. It can be studied through a variety of methods, depending on which aspect is evaluated [3]. Studies that have assessed trait impulsivity in BPD samples have reported higher BIS-11 scores in BPD subjects compared to healthy controls [5, 6] and to other clinical
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