Parental Invalidation Research Articles

Difficulties regulating emotions mediates the associations of parental psychological control and emotion invalidation with borderline personality features.

Extant research has supported a connection between socialization in childhood and difficulties regulating emotions. The biosocial theory of borderline personality disorder (BPD; Crowell, Beauchaine, & Linehan, 2009; Linehan, 1993) suggests that emotion dysregulation is a core mechanism underlying the extreme behaviors, mood instability, identity disturbance, and relationship instability observed in BPD. The present study investigated the impact of socialization factors related to emotions, parental autonomy support, parental psychological control, and childhood trauma on BPD features in a nonclinical young adult sample (N = 357). Relationships between socialization factors and BPD features were evaluated using structural equation modeling, to test integrative hypotheses informed by biosocial theory and self-determination theory. We found that recalled experiences of childhood trauma, emotional magnification of negative emotions, neglect of negative emotions, and parental psychological control were positively associated with BPD features. Difficulties regulating emotions mediated the relationships of childhood emotion socialization factors and psychological control with BPD features. Implications for future research, resiliency, and intervention are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Vulnerable narcissism as a mediator of the relationship between perceived parental invalidation and eating disorder pathology

Parental invalidation and narcissism have been proposed to play an important role in understanding the etiology of eating disorders. The current research aimed to address two main gaps in the literature. The first aim was to determine the differential associations of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism with eating disorder pathology. The second aim was to find a common mediator between both maternal and paternal invalidation and eating disorder pathology. It was hypothesized that when controlling for vulnerable narcissism, grandiose narcissism would not predict eating disorder pathology. In addition, it was hypothesized that vulnerable narcissism would be a mediator of the relationship between parental invalidation and eating disorder pathology. Participants were 352 women aged 18-30years who were recruited from the general and tertiary student population, andas such constituted a community sample. Participants completed the Invalidating Childhood Environment Scale, Brief-Pathological Narcissism Inventory, Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, the Avoidance of Affect Subscale of the Distress Tolerance Scale, and the Emotional Expression as a Sign of Weakness Subscale of the Attitudes Towards Emotional Expression Scale in an online survey. Results showed that, when controlling for vulnerable narcissism, grandiose narcissism was no longer associated with eating disorder pathology. It was also found that parental invalidation had a positive indirect effect upon eating disorder pathology, via vulnerable narcissism. The findings indicate that vulnerable narcissism is more strongly associated with eating disorder pathology as opposed to grandiose narcissism and help to further elucidate the mechanisms via which parental invalidation might exert its negative effect on eating disorder pathology. A cross-sectional survey (Level V).

Association between childhood invalidation and borderline personality symptoms: self-construal and conformity as moderating factors

BackgroundLinehan (1993)‘s biosocial model posits that borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms develop as a result of a transactional relationship between pre-existing emotional vulnerability and an invalidating childhood environment. Little work, however, has investigated cultural factors that may influence the relationship between childhood invalidation and BPD symptoms. The present study investigated the association between parental invalidation and BPD symptoms, and the role of conformity and self-construal as potential moderators of this association.MethodsTwo hundred and ninety undergraduate students were recruited from a large university in Singapore and administered questionnaires measuring Asian values, self-construal, parental invalidation, and BPD symptomatology.ResultsMultiple regression analysis demonstrated a significant positive association between BPD symptoms and maternal invalidation. Moderation analyses revealed a 3-way interaction, indicating that the maternal invalidation and BPD symptoms association varied by degree of conformity and self-construal. Among participants with interdependent self-construal, maternal invalidation was associated with BPD symptoms only at high conformity levels. No significant moderating effect was found among participants with independent self-construal.ConclusionsOverall, the study found empirical support for aspects of Linehan’s biosocial model in an Asian context, and has implications for developing a culturally-informed understanding of BPD.

여대생의 폭식행동 성향에 따른 부모의 정서무효화가 고통 감내력에 미치는 영향: 불안 민감성의 매개효과

여대생의 폭식행동 성향에 따른 부모의 정서무효화가 고통 감내력에 미치는 영향: 불안 민감성의 매개효과

Shame and Non-suicidal Self-injury: Conceptualization and Preliminary Test of a Novel Developmental Model among Emerging Adults.

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is particularly prevalent during adolescence and emerging adulthood. The salience of shame during these developmental periods suggests that shame may be inherently linked to NSSI, and at least partially explain the high rates of NSSI observed among youth. In this article, a theoretical developmental model relating shame and NSSI is proposed, and results from a preliminary test of a sub-set of cross-sectional relationships in this model is presented. In the model tested, it was hypothesized that adverse caregiving experiences in prior development (i.e., childhood to late adolescence) like parental invalidation and child maltreatment, established predictors of NSSI, would be linked to proximal episodes of NSSI (i.e., past year) through current shame-proneness (i.e., experiencing shame in a trait-like manner) and internalizing shame-coping (i.e., responding to shame through attacking one's self and withdrawing). It was also hypothesized that some key proximal predictors of NSSI during youth development, such as low body esteem, increased loneliness and heightened psychological distress, would be linked to proximal NSSI via shame-proneness and internalizing shame-coping. Using structural equation modelling, it was observed that data, obtained via self-reports completed by 573 emerging adults (age in years: M = 20.7, SD= 2.20, 69.1% female, NSSI history: n = 220, where most recent NSSI episode was within a year of study participation) recruited throughout Australia between June 2013 and June 2014, fit the hypothesized model well. Tests of indirect effects indicated that current shame-proneness and internalizing shame-coping significantly linked perceived parental invalidation and prior experiences of child maltreatment to proximal NSSI, though this relationship was, unexpectedly, an inverse one in relation to child maltreatment. Current shame-proneness was also linked to proximal NSSI via internalizing shame-coping, current loneliness, and current psychological distress, but not through current body esteem. Finally, proximal self-evaluations of body esteem, loneliness and increased psychological distress were linked to recent NSSI through internalizing shame-coping. The theory and findings presented in this article contribute to a deeper developmental understanding of NSSI among youth, highlight crucial pathways between adverse caregiving experiences and NSSI, and illuminate important shame-based mechanisms that potentially warrant clinical attention for at-risk individuals. Future research directions and clinical recommendations are discussed.

Psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Invalidating Childhood Environment Scale.

The current study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the invalidating childhood environment scale (ICES) in a non-clinical and clinical sample of eating disorder (ED) patients. This study also investigated the between-sample differences regarding invalidating parental behaviors and family styles and explored the associations between invalidating childhood environments and eating pathology. A sample of 410 high school and college students and 101 patients with a diagnosis of ED completed self-report measures. Principal component analyses and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to examine the factor structure of the ICES. The internal consistency and the between-sample differences and associations between invalidating childhood environments and eating pathology were also tested. Principal component analyses and confirmatory factor analyses indicated a two-factor solution for each parent. The ICES demonstrated high internal consistency and was able to differentiate between non-clinical and clinical samples. The perception of parental invalidation was higher in ED patients, and the clinical sample presented higher scores in the chaotic and perfect family styles and lower scores in the validating family style, in comparison with the non-clinical sample. Both maternal invalidation and invalidating styles were significantly associated with a higher ED symptomatology. The Portuguese version of the ICES revealed adequate psychometric properties. Considering the relationship between invalidation in family and eating pathology, the ICES may be useful in clinical practice, especially among ED patients. Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study.

The Mediating Effects of Negative Self-Concept and Experiential Avoidance on the Relationship between College Students’ Self-Differentiation and Parental Invalidation of Emotion

The Mediating Effects of Negative Self-Concept and Experiential Avoidance on the Relationship between College Students’ Self-Differentiation and Parental Invalidation of Emotion

Childhood emotional invalidation and right hemispheric mu suppression during a pain empathy task: An EEG study

ABSTRACTEmpathy is a critical aspect of social behavior, and impairment in empathic processing is linked to hindered social interactions and several disorders. Despite much interest in this topic, our understanding of the developmental and neural involvement for empathic processing is limited. Recent evidence suggests the Mirror Neuron System (MNS) may play a role in this behavior, and that mu rhythm suppression found over the sensorimotor cortices may be a proxy for the MNS. Therefore, we aimed to measure mu rhythm oscillations in response to empathic processing during observation of painful action-based situations using electroencephalogram (EEG). Our second goal was to examine how perceived parental emotional invalidation (EI) during childhood may relate to empathy and influence mu suppression. Our results showed that mu rhythm suppression was strongest over the right hemisphere. EI had a significant influence on this suppression between painful and non-painful images, and was negatively correlated with behavioral measures of empathy. Our findings suggest that perceived childhood EI may decrease empathizing abilities and influence neural responses to the painful experiences of others. Implications from this study could entail clinical intervention targeted at emotional invalidation to foster the healthy development of empathy.

Association among self-compassion, childhood invalidation, and borderline personality disorder symptomatology in a Singaporean sample

BackgroundLinehan’s biosocial theory posits that parental invalidation during childhood plays a role in the development of borderline personality disorder symptoms later in life. However, little research has examined components of the biosocial model in an Asian context, and variables that may influence the relationship between childhood invalidation and borderline symptoms. Self-compassion is increasingly regarded as an adaptive way to regulate one’s emotions and to relate to oneself, and may serve to moderate the association between invalidation and borderline symptoms. The present study investigated the association among childhood invalidation, self-compassion, and borderline personality disorder symptoms in a sample of Singaporean undergraduate students.MethodsTwo hundred and ninety undergraduate students from a large Singaporean university were recruited and completed measures assessing childhood invalidation, self-compassion, and borderline personality disorder symptoms.ResultsAnalyses using multiple regression indicated that both childhood invalidation and self-compassion significantly predicted borderline personality disorder symptomatology. Results from moderation analyses indicated that relationship between childhood invalidation and borderline personality disorder symptomatology did not vary as a function of self-compassion.ConclusionThis study provides evidence in support of aspects of the biosocial model in an Asian context, and demonstrates a strong association between self-compassion and borderline personality disorder symptoms, independent of one’s history of parental invalidation during childhood.

Shame Proneness, Shame Coping, and Functions of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) Among Emerging Adults

Shame proneness (i.e., experiencing shame in a trait-like manner) and internalizing shame coping styles (e.g., withdrawing/attacking one’s self when feeling shame) predict distress, psychopathology, and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) among emerging adults. Parental invalidation is instrumental in the development of both maladaptive shame and NSSI. In this study, we proposed that shame proneness and internalized shame coping would link perceived parental invalidation and psychological distress to NSSI functions among emerging adults. A sample of 384 Australian emerging adults with a history of NSSI (M age = 20.7 years, SD = 2.25; 81.3% female, 61.2% Caucasian) completed online self-reports assessing the relevant constructs. Hypothesized indirect effects through shame proneness and internalized shame coping were supported when participants reported using NSSI for intrapersonal (e.g., self-punishment), but not interpersonal (e.g., signaling autonomy), functions. Findings advance theories on why some young pe...

Predictors of Emotional Security in Survivors of Interpersonal Violence

As emotional security theory has recently been extended to understand recovery from interpersonal violence, the present study aimed to understand whether and to what extent trauma-specific aspects of the family environment (caregiver responses to disclosure, non-disclosure) and more general aspects of the family environment (interparental conflict, parental invalidation of emotions) explained variance in emotional security in the family in a sample of emerging adults with a history of interpersonal violence (physical or sexual abuse or assault). Results indicated that substantiated aspects of the interparental subsystem (interparental conflict) and parent–child subsystem (parental invalidation of emotions) predicted all three aspects of emotional security (preoccupation, disengagement, and security) in regression models where trauma-specific variables were included. Additionally, non-supportive caregiver response to disclosed trauma also accounted for significant variance in felt security, supporting the idea that problematic caregiver responses to traumatic events can erode emotional security for survivors of interpersonal violence, in addition to broader patterns in the interparental and parent–child subsystems.

Parental Invalidation and the Development of Narcissism

ABSTRACTParenting behaviors and childhood experiences have played a central role in theoretical approaches to the etiology of narcissism. Research has suggested an association between parenting and narcissism; however, it has been limited in its examination of different narcissism subtypes and individual differences in parenting behaviors. This study investigates the influence of perceptions of parental invalidation, an important aspect of parenting behavior theoretically associated with narcissism. Correlational and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted using a sample of 442 Australian participants to examine the relationship between invalidating behavior from mothers and fathers, and grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. Results indicate that stronger recollections of invalidating behavior from either mothers or fathers are associated with higher levels of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism when controlling for age, gender, and the related parenting behaviors of rejection, coldness, and overprotection. The lowest levels of narcissism were found in individuals who reported low levels of invalidation in both parents. These findings support the idea that parental invalidation is associated with narcissism.

Family Functioning and Parental Invalidation of Depressed Adolescents with Borderline Personality Disorder Traits

Background: Parental invalidation is thought to contribute to severity of borderline personality disorder (BPD) severity. Certain family functioning environments may foster more invalidation than others. The current study serves to examine how dysfunctional family functioning may allow for BPD symptoms development through the fostering of invalidating environments. Method: 60 female adolescents completed the Borderline Symptoms List (BSL-23), the Family Adaptability and Cohesiveness Evaluation Scale (FACES-V), and the Invalidated Childhood Environment Scale adapted for adolescents (ICES-A) at baseline of a 20-week dialectical-behavioural therapy. Results: Only maternal invalidation was positively correlated with severity of BPD symptoms. Furthermore, maternal invalidation mediated the relationship between disengaged family functioning and adolescent BPD symptoms. Limitations: The ICES-A is currently undergoing validation, therefore results should be interpreted cautiously. Also, the clinical sample used in the study presented with a restricted upper-bound range of symptoms, thus limiting generalizability. Conclusions: These findings highlight the need to work upon the family environment for the treatment of BPD symptoms, especially in adolescence before symptoms become consolidated.

Validation française du questionnaire d’évaluation de l’environnement invalidant durant l’enfance : the Invalidating Childhood Environments Scale (ICES)

IntroductionThe Invalidating Childhood Environments Scale (ICES) was developed by Mountford et al. (2007) in order to measure the parental invalidation of the child's emotional needs from the adolescent or young adult perception. ObjectiveThe aim of this study is the validation in French of the ICES based on its factorial structure and psychometric property. MethodParticipants included 585 freshmen university students (186 males, 399 females), aged 18–22. ResultsResults show that the French version had good psychometric validity. Factorial analyses indicate a two dimensions construct structure identical for each parent. These dimensions were labeled “personal distress” and “inability of empathy” in reference of Batson's studies on altruism (Batson, 1991). The convergent validity of the ICES is supported by the relationship between the scores on the different dimensions and the depression symptomatology. ConclusionImplications of the perception of these two dimensions of empathy and the family environment in the psychological health are addressed.

Role Confusion and Disorientation in Young Adult-Parent Interaction Among Individuals With Borderline Symptomatology.

Borderline symptoms are thought to emerge from the interaction of temperamental factors and environmental stressors. Both parental invalidation and attachment disorganization have been hypothesized to play an etiological role. However, to date the quality of parent-child interaction has not been observed directly. In this study, 120 young adults were assessed for features of borderline personality disorder on the SCID II, for severity of childhood maltreatment on interview and self-report measures, and for disturbance in parent-child interaction during a videotaped conflict discussion task. Borderline traits, as well as suicidality/self-injury specifically, were associated with more role confusion and more disoriented behavior in interaction with the parent. Among young adults with recurrent suicidality/self-injury, 40% displayed high levels of role confusion compared to 16% of those who were not suicidal. Neither form of disturbed interaction mediated the independent effect of childhood abuse on borderline symptoms. A parent-child transactional model is proposed to account for the findings.

Construct validity of the five factor borderline inventory.

The Five Factor Borderline Inventory (FFBI) is a new self-report measure developed to assess traits of borderline personality disorder (BPD) from the perspective of the Five Factor Model of general personality. The current study sought to first replicate initial validity findings for the FFBI and then to further validate the FFBI with predispositional risk factors of the biosocial theory of BPD and with commonly associated features of BPD (e.g., depression, low self-esteem) utilizing two samples of young adults (N = 87; 85) who have engaged in nonsuicidal self-injury. The FFBI showed strong convergent and discriminant validity across two measures of the Five Factor Model and also correlated strongly with measures of impulsivity, emotion dysregulation, and BPD. The FFBI also related to two measures of early childhood emotional vulnerability and parental invalidation and measures of depression, anxiety, and self-esteem. Overall, the results provide support for the FFBI as a measure of BPD.

The roles of adolescent attentional bias and parental invalidation of sadness in significant illness: A comparison between eating disorders and chronic pain

Biopsychosocial conceptualizations of eating disorders (EDs) suggest the combination of an individual's emotional vulnerability and invalidating environment increases the likelihood of developing pervasive emotion dysregulation, and subsequent use of ED behaviors to regulate emotion (Haynos & Fruzetti, 2011; Safer, Telch, & Chen, 2009). The current study aimed to provide initial support for this model in adolescent EDs, through examining the interaction between an adolescent's emotional vulnerability, indexed by attentional biases for emotions, and an invalidating family environment. Specifically, we examined the ability of this interaction to discriminate youth with EDs from a comparison group of youth with chronic pain diagnoses, who were used to control for the presence of non-specific effects of having any illness. Fifty adolescent girls (25 with EDs and 25 with chronic pain) completed an emotional dot-probe task assessing attentional biases for emotional faces, and parents completed the Emotions as a Child Scale (Magai, 1996; Klimes-Dougan et al., 2007) to assess response to teen emotion. Results showed that teen angry attentional bias moderated the relationship between parental response to sadness and teen ED status: for teens with high attention bias towards angry faces, maladaptive parental response to sadness predicted increased odds of ED status versus chronic pain status.

An Investigation of the Biosocial Model of Borderline Personality Disorder

We sought to test the Biosocial Theory of borderline personality disorder (BPD) that posits that borderline traits are due to emotional dysregulation, caused by the interaction between childhood emotional vulnerability and invaliding parenting. A total of 250 adults (76% female, median age = 32.06 years) from a nonclinical population completed self-report measures assessing current levels of borderline traits and emotional dysregulation. They also completed retrospective measures of childhood emotional vulnerability and parental invalidation. Invalidating parenting and emotional vulnerability independently predicted emotion dysregulation, but an interaction effect was not found. Having experienced validating parenting was found to be a protective factor for developing borderline traits but was not significantly related to emotional dysregulation. Data in this sample did not support the underlying genesis of BPD proposed by the Biosocial Theory and a model that more parsimoniously explains the development of BPD is proposed.

Nonsuicidal self-injury in an adolescent population in Singapore

This mixed methods study examined the phenomenon of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) of adolescents in Singapore. The researchers analyzed quantitative data to understand the functions of NSSI, the relationship of parental invalidation to NSSI, and the association between academic stress and parental invalidation. In addition, the researchers employed semi-structured qualitative interviews to provide supportive qualitative data. The participants were outpatients at the Child Guidance Clinic, Singapore, between the ages of 13 to 19 years old. Researchers compared 30 participants who engage in NSSI with 30 participants who do not engage in NSSI. The emotional regulation function was the most commonly endorsed function for NSSI. Adolescents who engage in NSSI have statistically significant (p < .01) higher mean parental invalidation scores than those who do not engage in NSSI. There is also a moderate, positive correlation between the level of parental invalidation and the level of academic stress for Singaporean adolescents. The researchers discuss the implications of this study for mental health professionals.

The Invalidating Childhood Environment Scale (ICES): Psychometric Properties and Relationship to Borderline Personality Symptomatology

The objective of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Invalidating Childhood Environment Scale (ICES; Mountford, Corstorphine, Tomlinson, & Waller, 2004), a measure designed to retrospectively assess exposure to parental invalidation. The ICES was administered to a sample of female college students along with measures of parental bonding and borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptomatology. In contrast with previous findings, the ICES demonstrated excellent internal consistency within a nonclinical sample. It also correlated in the predicted directions with measures of parental bonding and BPD symptomatology. Taken together, these findings suggest that the ICES is a promising retrospective measure of parental invalidation. They also provide some support for the hypothesized link between parental invalidation and BPD symptomatology and suggest that additional research with clinical samples is needed.