Comparison of Distress Tolerance, Emotion Dysregulation, and Self-Compassion in Individuals with and without Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms

Abstract Introduction: The current research was conducted to examine emotion dysregulation, distress tolerance, and self-compassion in people with and without borderline personality disorder symptoms. Method: A causal- comparative design was used to carry out this study.  The participants included 343 students from the Islamic Azad University of Rasht who were selected through a relative stratified sampling method. The research tools included the Schizotypal Trait Questionnaire-B Scale (STB), the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), and the Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS).   The MONOVA and an ANOVA test were used to analyze the data. Results: The results showed that people with borderline personality disorder symptoms had more difficulty regulating their emotions and tolerating distress compared to people without borderline personality disorder symptoms. As regards to the SCS, people with borderline personality disorder symptoms scored lower on components of self-compassion, sense of humanity and mindfulness, but they scored higher on the self-judgment component. There were no significant differences between the two groups on the isolation and the over-identification components. Conclusion: According to the findings, it can be stated that people with borderline personality disorder symptoms have problems tolerating distress and regulating their emotions. They also do not show self-compassion, compared to people without borderline personality disorder symptoms.