Borderline Personality Traits, Rumination, and Self-Injurious Behavior: An Empirical Test of the Emotional Cascades Model in Adult Male Offenders

Abstract

This study examined the Emotional Cascade Model in adult male offenders with borderline personality traits. Participants were 179 adults detained in a medium-secure prison, all of whom completed a battery of questionnaire measures and self-reported their actual prison behavior. The results support the application of the model to this population, suggesting that emotional cascades (measured in terms of rumination) may play an important role in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicidality in adult male offenders, although this needs further exploration. These findings highlight the benefits of targeting rumination to manage risk of NSSI and suicidality within custodial settings.