One of the key features and long considered a fundamental element of Borderline Personality Disorder is the disruption of identity. Autobiographical memory is closely linked to the development and maintenance of a coherent, stable sense of self. It enables the individual to understand who he or she is. The investigators hypothesize that individuals diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder have a less coherent, stable sense of the self than healthy controls. The aim of the study is therefore to compare the sense of identity between a group of patients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and a group of healthy individuals (without Borderline Personality Disorder ). This can be measured by evaluating the content of the self-defining memory using the Self-Defining Memory scale.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
60
This questionnaire consists of 3 pages. Page 1 gives a clear, concise definition of a memory that defines the self. This enlightens the subject on what is expected and helps him/her consider the phenomenological characteristics of the Self-Defining Memory. Page 2 recalls the 6 essential characteristics of the Self-Defining Memory. Page 3 allows the practical application of what has been understood about the questionnaire. At least 3 memories are asked of the participants. Each memory is rated as follows : On a scale of 0 - 6 for each of the following emotions, participants note how they feel when recalling each memory. Happy, Sad, Angry, Fearful, Surprised, Ashamed,Disgusted,Guilty, Interested, Embarrassed, Contemptful, Proud. 0 = not at all, 3 = Moderately and 6 = Extremely. Participants must then use the same scale to indicate the vividness and importance of the memory. They must also note the approximate number of years ago the memory took place (to the nearest whole number).
Nîmes University Hospital
Nîmes, Gard, France
Sense of Identity in patients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder according to the results of the Self-Defining Memory questionnaire.
The answers to the Self-Defining Memory questionnaire will be analyzed. At least 3 memories are asked of the participants. Each memory is rated as follows : On a scale of 0 - 6 for each of the following emotions, participants note how they feel when recalling each memory. Happy, Sad, Angry, Fearful, Surprised, Ashamed,Disgusted,Guilty, Interested, Embarrassed, Contemptful, Proud. 0 = not at all, 3 = Moderately and 6 = Extremely. Participants must then use the same scale to indicate the vividness and importance of the memory. They must also note the approximate number of years ago the memory took place (to the nearest whole number).
Time frame: Day 7
Sense of Identity in healthy controls according to the results of the Self-Defining Memory questionnaire.
The answers to the Self-Defining Memory questionnaire will be analyzed. At least 3 memories are asked of the participants. Each memory is rated as follows : On a scale of 0 - 6 for each of the following emotions, participants note how they feel when recalling each memory. Happy, Sad, Angry, Fearful, Surprised, Ashamed,Disgusted,Guilty, Interested, Embarrassed, Contemptful, Proud. 0 = not at all, 3 = Moderately and 6 = Extremely. Participants must then use the same scale to indicate the vividness and importance of the memory. They must also note the approximate number of years ago the memory took place (to the nearest whole number).
Time frame: Day 7
Self-coherence of self-defining memories in patients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder
The TALE (Thinking About Life Experiences) self-questionnaire will be used to evaluate this point. This questionnaire contains 15 items, each to be answered with a 5-point Lickert scale (1 = almost never, 5 = very frequently) with the aim of measuring 3 theoretical functions found in the autobiographic memory: * The self-continuity function * The social bonding function * The directing behavior function
Time frame: Day 7
Self-coherence of self-defining memories in healthy controls
The TALE (Thinking About Life Experiences) self-questionnaire will be used to evaluate this point. This questionnaire contains 15 items, each to be answered with a 5-point Lickert scale (1 = almost never, 5 = very frequently) with the aim of measuring 3 theoretical functions found in the autobiographic memory: * The self-continuity function * The social bonding function * The directing behavior function
Time frame: Day 7
Phenomenological details of self-defining memories in patients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder
The Memory Characteristics Questionnaire (MCQ) will be used to compare the self-defining memories in each group of patients, Borderline vs. Controls. The MCQ is a self-administered questionnaire for the assessment of phenomenological characteristics of autobiographical memory. This measurement tool, comprising 15 items and constructed according to a 7-point Likert scale, can distinguish between memories of events, which contain more sensory and contextual details, from memories of contextual details, from memories of imagined events, which contain more elements relating to cognitive operations.
Time frame: Day 7
Phenomenological details of self-defining memories in healthy controls
The Memory Characteristics Questionnaire (MCQ) will be used to compare the self-defining memories in each group of patients, Borderline vs. Controls. The MCQ is a self-administered questionnaire for the assessment of phenomenological characteristics of autobiographical memory. This measurement tool, comprising 15 items and constructed according to a 7-point Likert scale, can distinguish between memories of events, which contain more sensory and contextual details, from memories of contextual details, from memories of imagined events, which contain more elements relating to cognitive operations.
Time frame: Day 7
Traumas undergone in patients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder: Frequency
The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) will be used to evaluate the frequency of traumas undergone by the patient. The CTQ is a self-administered questionnaire of childhood and adolescent abuse. The short version, validated in French by David P Bernstein in 2003, includes 28 items and gives a quantitative estimate of the severity of maltreatment experienced. This self-administered questionnaire is based on a 5-point Likert scale and covers five main dimensions of abuse: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect and emotional neglect.
Time frame: Day 7
Traumas undergone in healthy controls: Frequency
The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) will be used to evaluate the frequency of traumas undergone by healthy controls. The CTQ is a self-administered questionnaire of childhood and adolescent abuse. The short version, validated in French (David P Bernstein et al. 2003), includes 28 items and gives a quantitative estimate of the severity of maltreatment experienced. This self-administered questionnaire is based on a 5-point Likert scale and covers five main dimensions of abuse: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect and emotional neglect.
Time frame: Day 7
Traumas undergone in patients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder: Type
The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) will be used to evaluate the type of traumas undergone by the patient. The CTQ is a self-administered questionnaire of childhood and adolescent abuse. The short version, validated in French, includes 28 items and gives a quantitative estimate of the severity of maltreatment experienced. This self-administered questionnaire is based on a 5-point Likert scale and covers five main dimensions of abuse: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect and emotional neglect.
Time frame: Day 7
Traumas undergone in healthy controls: Type
The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) will be used to evaluate the type of traumas undergone in healthy controls: The CTQ is a self-administered questionnaire of childhood and adolescent abuse. The short version, validated in French by David P Bernstein in 2003, includes 28 items and gives a quantitative estimate of the severity of maltreatment experienced. This self-administered questionnaire is based on a 5-point Likert scale and covers five main dimensions of abuse: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect and emotional neglect.
Time frame: Day 7
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