The role of empathy in the relationship between childhood trauma and borderline personality tendencies in male offenders

Childhood trauma and empathy deficits have been found to be related to borderline personality disorder (BPD), but the mechanisms of action remain unclear. This study aims to investigate the characteristics of empathy in male offenders with BPD tendencies and to test its mediating role in the relatio...

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VerfasserInnen: Wang, Ya-Li (VerfasserIn) ; Guo, Jian-Nan (VerfasserIn) ; Yin, Xun-Bao (VerfasserIn) ; Zhang, Qin (VerfasserIn) ; Dong, Li-Yuan (VerfasserIn) ; Wang, Gai (VerfasserIn) ; Wang, Yan-Yu (VerfasserIn)
Medienart: Elektronisch Aufsatz
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: 2021
In: The journal of forensic psychiatry & psychology
Jahr: 2021, Band: 32, Heft: 5, Seiten: 679-696
Online-Zugang: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Schlagwörter:
theory of mind
Empathy
Childhood trauma
Borderline Personality Disorder
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:Childhood trauma and empathy deficits have been found to be related to borderline personality disorder (BPD), but the mechanisms of action remain unclear. This study aims to investigate the characteristics of empathy in male offenders with BPD tendencies and to test its mediating role in the relationship between childhood trauma and BPD tendencies. Two hundred and fifty-seven male offenders and 43 male nonoffender controls completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire Short From (CTQ-SF), the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE) and the Chinese version of the computerized Yoni Task. ANOVA, Mixed-model ANOVAs and the PROCESS macro were used to analyze the inventory data and task performances. Compared to male offenders without BPD tendencies and nonoffender controls, offenders with BPD tendencies showed more severe childhood abuse, lower cognitive empathy and poorer task performances in second-order cognitive and second-order affective theory of mind. Furthermore, cognitive empathy was found to play a mediating role in the relationship between childhood trauma and BPD tendencies. Our findings indicate the effects of childhood trauma and empathy impairments on BPD and suggest the possible application value of the precision empathy ability training in the intervention of offenders with BPD.
ISSN:1478-9957
DOI:10.1080/14789949.2021.1886314