Impulsivity represents the core feature of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). The dimensional trans- nosographic approach called «compulsive-impulsive spectrum» hypothesises that psychopathologies sharing common phenomenological, clinical, and neurobiological aspects might be included in the same continuum; compulsivity and impulsivity are supposed to be dimensions located on the two extremes of such a continuum. The main aim of the study was to test the utility of this approach in the conceptualization of BPD by making use of self-report questionnaires and two cognitive tasks assessing the main abilities underlying behavioural regulation: the Go/Nogo task to measure motor inhibition ability and the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) to evaluate decision-making processes. Eighteen female in-patients suffering from BPD (clinical group) and 18 unaffected women matched by age (control group) entered the study. As regards assessment through self-report questionnaires, the clinical group showed higher levels of both compulsivity and impulsivity than the control group (p < 0,05). As far as cognitive tasks are concerned, patients performed more omission errors (p = 0,004) and were slower than healthy controls (p = 0,001) on the Go/Nogo task; furthermore, patients were characterised by dysfunctional decision-making processes as measured by the IGT since they chose cards from the disadvantageous decks more often than healthy individuals (p < 0,01). Taken as a whole, these results support the utility of the compulsive-impulsive spectrum hypothesis for the conceptualization of BPD.
Disregolazione comportamentale e Disturbo Borderline di Personalità: valutazione di impulsività, aggressività e compulsività in un gruppo clinico.
BOTTESI, GIOIA;CEREA, SILVIA;GHISI, MARTA
2014
Abstract
Impulsivity represents the core feature of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). The dimensional trans- nosographic approach called «compulsive-impulsive spectrum» hypothesises that psychopathologies sharing common phenomenological, clinical, and neurobiological aspects might be included in the same continuum; compulsivity and impulsivity are supposed to be dimensions located on the two extremes of such a continuum. The main aim of the study was to test the utility of this approach in the conceptualization of BPD by making use of self-report questionnaires and two cognitive tasks assessing the main abilities underlying behavioural regulation: the Go/Nogo task to measure motor inhibition ability and the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) to evaluate decision-making processes. Eighteen female in-patients suffering from BPD (clinical group) and 18 unaffected women matched by age (control group) entered the study. As regards assessment through self-report questionnaires, the clinical group showed higher levels of both compulsivity and impulsivity than the control group (p < 0,05). As far as cognitive tasks are concerned, patients performed more omission errors (p = 0,004) and were slower than healthy controls (p = 0,001) on the Go/Nogo task; furthermore, patients were characterised by dysfunctional decision-making processes as measured by the IGT since they chose cards from the disadvantageous decks more often than healthy individuals (p < 0,01). Taken as a whole, these results support the utility of the compulsive-impulsive spectrum hypothesis for the conceptualization of BPD.Pubblicazioni consigliate
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