Religion/spirituality status and borderline personality symptomatology among outpatients in an internal medicine clinic

Abstract

Objective. This study was designed to assess religion/spirituality (RS) status over the preceding 12 months in relationship to borderline personality symptomatology status. Methods. Using a cross-sectional consecutive sample of internal medicine outpatients and a self-report survey methodology, we examined RS using the 12-item Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being Scale (FACIT-Sp-12), and borderline personality symptomatology using two self-report measures, the borderline personality scale of the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4 and the Self-Harm Inventory. Results. The majority of FACIT-Sp-12 scales as well as the overall FACIT-Sp-12 score demonstrated an inverse relationship with scores on the individual measures for borderline personality symptomatology as well as a combined measure of such symptoms (individuals who scored positively on both measures). In other words, lower RS was identified in participants with higher levels of borderline personality symptomatology. Conclusions. According to findings, compared to participants without borderline personality symptomatology, those with such symptomatology evidenced statistically significantly lower RS on most study scales as well as the overall FACIT-Sp-12 score. This suggests that individuals with borderline personality symptomatology have lower overall levels of RS than individuals without this type of psychopathology.