Leiden University Student Repository

Gerogianni, Maria (2025)

BPD and PTSD Symptoms as Predictors of Trait and Acute Dissociation after Script- Driven Imagery. Is Biological Sex a Moderator?

Master thesis | Psychology (MSc)

Dissociation, referring to both dissociative traits and acute response to stress, has been associated with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. However, whether biological sex influences this association remains unclear, thus presenting a gap in the existing literature. This study aimed to examine if there are unique predictive effects of BPD and PTSD symptoms on trait dissociation and acute dissociation after script-driven imagery and to explore if there is a potential moderating effect of biological sex in these relationships. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that both BPD and PTSD symptoms significantly predicted trait dissociation, with the overall model explaining 33.3% of the variance. For acute dissociation postscript, PTSD symptoms emerged as a significant predictor even when BPD symptoms were included in the model, whereas BPD symptoms were only significant predictors when PTSD symptoms were not controlled for...Show moreDissociation, referring to both dissociative traits and acute response to stress, has been associated with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. However, whether biological sex influences this association remains unclear, thus presenting a gap in the existing literature. This study aimed to examine if there are unique predictive effects of BPD and PTSD symptoms on trait dissociation and acute dissociation after script-driven imagery and to explore if there is a potential moderating effect of biological sex in these relationships. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that both BPD and PTSD symptoms significantly predicted trait dissociation, with the overall model explaining 33.3% of the variance. For acute dissociation postscript, PTSD symptoms emerged as a significant predictor even when BPD symptoms were included in the model, whereas BPD symptoms were only significant predictors when PTSD symptoms were not controlled for, but biological sex was included. This suggests that the association between BPD symptoms and acute dissociation may be accounted for, at least partially, by co-occurring PTSD symptoms. Further moderation analyses indicated that biological sex did not moderate the relationship between BPD and both trait and acute dissociation but did moderate the relationship between PTSD symptoms and acute dissociation. Specifically, PTSD symptoms had a stronger effect on acute dissociation in males compared to females. These findings offer valuable insights into the complex role of dissociation in BPD and PTSD symptomatology, highlighting the need for future research to incorporate additional variables such as trauma history, neurobiological mechanisms, and gender-related factors to further clarify the underlying processes shaping dissociative experiences.Show less

dissociation, trait dissociation, acute dissociation, borderline personality disorder (BPD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), BPD Symptoms, PTSD Symptoms, biological sex, script-driven imagery task

Author

Gerogianni, Maria

Faculty

Faculty of Social & Behavioural Sciences

Specialisation

Clinical Psychology

Supervisors

Annegret Krause-Utz

ECTS Credits

20

Language

en