Do emotion dysregulation and internalised shame mediate the relationship between borderline personality disorder symptomology and criminal involvement?

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe disorder that is over-represented within the criminal legal system (CLS). However, little research has examined mechanisms leading to criminal involvement in this population. Potential mechanisms that have yet to be examined include emotion dysregulation and internalised shame. Adults (N = 93) incarcerated in a rural jail with a mental health concern were invited to participate. Measures include the addiction severity index (ASI), original and positive versions of the difficulties in emotion regulation scale (DERS; DERS-P) and the internalised shame scale (ISS). BPD symptoms were significantly correlated with negative emotion dysregulation and several subscales, internalised shame and criminal involvement. Negative emotion dysregulation and internalised shame were unrelated to criminal involvement, and there was no evidence of mediation through these constructs. Bivariate results are consistent with prior literature, but future research should examine relevant variables that could explicate the relationship between BPD symptoms and criminal involvement.