Interpersonal Functioning in Borderline Personality Disorder Traits: A Social Media Perspective

Abstract

This is the first study to demonstrate interpersonal difficulties associated with borderline personality disorder (BPD) features in the domain of social media. Using crowdsourcing, we presented participants with a battery of questions about their recent social media use, and then assessed their BPD features using the short form of the Five-Factor Borderline Inventory. The results revealed that individuals with higher BPD trait scores reported posting more often on social media, as well as a higher incidence of experiencing regret after posting on social media, and of deleting or editing their posts. They also report a higher degree of importance of social media in their social behavior and daily routines. These results highlight the pervasiveness of interpersonal difficulties associated with BPD features even in the non-clinical population, and demonstrate that these difficulties are also observable in social media behavior. Our findings may provide a starting point for research using data from social media to illuminate the cognitive and emotional processes underpinning the interpersonal difficulties associated with BPD features, and to inform and assess therapeutic interventions.

Figure 1

Marginal effects of BPD trait score and age on the self-reported number of online posts.

Figure 2

Marginal effects of BPD trait score on the self-reported number of instances of regretting a post on social media.

Figure 3

Marginal effects of BPD trait score on the self-reported number of instances of editing or deleting a post on social media.

Figure 4

Marginal effects of BPD trait score on the self-reported number of occasions in the past month on which respondents blocked or unfriended other users.

Figure 5

Marginal effects of BPD trait score on self-reported ratings on the Social Integration and Emotional Connection subscale of Social Media Use Integration Scale.