Emotion dysregulation and internalizing symptoms affect relationships between ADHD symptoms and borderline personality features among male patients with substance use disorders

Figures & data

Table 1. Comparing sociodemographic variables and scale scores according to the presence of probable borderline personality disorder.

	Probable BPD
	Absent n = 150, 49.2%		Present n = 155, 50.8%
	Mean	S.D.	Mean	S.D.	T	p
Age	33.69	11.34	33.63	10.96	0.048	.962
Duration of education	9.28	3.08	8.84	3.31	1.205	.229
Marital status (n, %)					χ^2 = 0.986	.611
Married	48	32.0	55	35.5
Single	82	54.7	76	49.0
Divorced/widowed	20	13.3	24	15.5
Employment (n, %)					χ^2 = 5.768	.123
Not working	70	46.7	79	51.0
Regular job	55	36.7	39	25.2
Part-time work	16	10.7	26	16.8
Retired / student	9	6.0	11	7.1
Age at first substance use	17.01	5.08	16.66	4.40	0.653	.514
Age at regular use	20.14	6.18	19.27	5.50	1.308	.192
ADHD	22.55	9.20	31.72	12.19	−7.436	<.001
Inattentiveness	11.24	5.61	15.21	6.87	−5.546	<.001
Hyperactivity/impulsivity	11.31	5.18	16.50	6.34	−7.851	<.001
Probable ADHD * (n, %)	12	8.0	36	23.2	χ^2  = 13.326	<.001
DERS	83.29	18.55	104.36	19.64	−9.628	<.001
Nonaccept	13.88	4.79	17.10	5.28	−5.577	<.001
Goals	13.23	4.23	16.47	3.77	−7.082	<.001
Impulse	13.35	4.25	17.24	4.56	−7.707	<.001
Awareness	15.31	3.91	17.27	3.97	−4.352	<.001
Strategies	16.90	5.77	22.88	5.61	−9.187	<.001
Clarity	10.63	3.29	13.39	3.59	−7.006	<.001
Depression	11.81	7.96	21.35	11.51	−8.444	<.001
State Anxiety	35.71	10.00	42.61	9.85	−6.070	<.001
Trait Anxiety	42.33	7.86	49.47	8.13	−7.789	<.001

Notes: BPD: Borderline personality disorder; ADHD: attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; DERS: Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale; *Odds Ratio (95% Confidence Interval) = 3.479 (1.731 − 6.991).

Table 2. Correlation coefficients between scale scores.

	ASRS	IN	HI	BPI
BPI	0.496	0.423	0.479
BDI	0.348	0.309	0.323	0.543
STAI State	0.303	0.263	0.288	0.446
STAI Trait	0.451	0.433	0.386	0.539
DERS	0.592	0.546	0.528	0.554
Nonaccept	0.348	0.310	0.322	0.329
Goals	0.538	0.502	0.475	0.475
Impulse	0.521	0.462	0.484	0.489
Aware	0.266	0.280	0.201	0.288
Strategies	0.550	0.484	0.515	0.507
Clarity	0.438	0.442	0.353	0.409

Notes: For all coefficients p < .001, ASRS: Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale; IN: Inattentiveness; HI: hyperactivity/impulsivity; BPI: Borderline Personality Inventory; BDI: Beck Depression Inventory; STAI: Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory; DERS: Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale.

Table 3. Hierarchical linear regression analysis where severity of borderline personality features are taken as dependent variable and depression, state and trait anxiety scores, ADHD (and dimensions of ADHD) severity and difficulties in emotion regulation are taken as independent variables.

Model		Unstandardized coefficients		Standardized coefficients	t	P
		B	Std. error	Beta
Step 1	Depression	0.339	0.057	0.343	5.962	<.001
	Trait anxiety	0.413	0.072	0.332	5.774	<.001
Step 2a	Depression	0.305	0.054	0.309	5.626	<.001
	Trait anxiety	0.277	0.072	0.223	3.861	<.001
	ASRS score	0.267	0.045	0.288	5.882	<.001
Step 2b	Depression	0.299	0.054	0.302	5.521	<.001
	Trait anxiety	0.288	0.072	0.231	4.012	<.001
	IN score	0.113	0.098	0.068	1.153	.250
	HI score	0.426	0.099	0.248	4.281	<.001
Step 3a	Depression	0.268	0.055	0.270	4.901	<.001
	Trait anxiety	0.208	0.076	0.167	2.744	.006
	IN score	0.049	0.099	0.030	0.497	.619
	HI score	0.364	0.101	0.212	3.617	<.001
	DERS score	0.091	0.031	0.182	2.916	.004
Step 3b	Depression	0.277	0.054	0.280	5.113	<.001
	Trait anxiety	0.241	0.073	0.194	3.324	.001
	IN score	0.073	0.097	0.044	0.745	.457
	HI score	0.360	0.101	0.210	3.574	<.001
	Impulse of DERS	0.353	0.122	0.156	2.903	.004

Notes: ASRS: Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale; IN: Inattentiveness; HI: Hyperactivity/impulsivity; DERS: Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Step 1: F = 86.858, df: 2, 302, p < .001, Adjusted R² = .293; Step 2a: F = 75.878, df: 3, 301, p < .001, Adjusted R² = .361, R² Change = .070; Step 2b: F = 58.125, df: 4, 300, p < .001, Adjusted R² = 0.429, R² Change = 0.071; Step 3a: F = 49.364, df: 5, 299, p < .001, Adjusted R² = 0.443, R² Change = 0.016; Step 3b: F = 49.336, df: 5, 299, p < .001, Adjusted R² = 0.443, R² Change = .015.