Emotion Dysregulation as a Mechanism to Criminal Involvement among Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder Symptomology

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is highly over-represented in the criminal legal system (CLS) and mechanisms explaining this relationship are still unclear. The experience of emotion dysregulation, both positive and negative, has been theorized as a driver of violent and risky behavior in other groups, and studies have suggested it may be a relevant mechanism explaining criminal involvement among individuals with BPD. However, it is unclear how difficulties regulating specific emotions contribute to criminal involvement, or how substance use intersects with dysregulated emotions to increase risk for crime in this population. Thus, the goal of Study 1 is to use qualitative and quantitative methods to examine how the dysregulation of specific emotions (both positive and negative) and substance use are related to criminal involvement among justice-involved people with BPD symptomology. Building from Study 1, Study 2 will examine the preliminary effectiveness of an intervention that targets emotion dysregulation and risky behaviors, such as substance use and crime, among justice-involved people with BPD symptomology (i.e., dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills). DBT skills groups have been implemented in CLS settings and are associated with improvement in aggressive behavior, anger, impulsivity, and emotion dysregulation; however, these groups rarely assess post-release outcomes that could increase CLS involvement (e.g., substance use) and have yet to examine emotion dysregulation as a mechanism of DBT treatment effects. Therefore, it is unclear how DBT groups delivered in CLS settings address recidivism risk and whether targeting emotion dysregulation is key in reducing this risk. Together, these studies will help clarify the role of emotion dysregulation as a mechanism explaining criminal behavior and a target of intervention to reduce criminal behavior among people with BPD symptomology.