Author ORCID Identifier
Date Available
12-3-2021
Year of Publication
2021
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Document Type
Master's Thesis
College
Arts and Sciences
Department/School/Program
Psychology
First Advisor
Dr. Shannon Sauer-Zavala
Abstract
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by maladaptive levels across three personality domains: Neuroticism, (low) Agreeableness, and (low) Conscientiousness. The Unified Protocol (UP) is a transdiagnostic treatment that targets neuroticism and has demonstrated promising effects with BPD. However, not all individuals with BPD respond to UP treatment. The aim of the current study was to explore the extent to which the UP is an efficacious treatment for BPD symptoms. This study represents a secondary analysis of a clinical trial in which the UP was the study treatment; data from the full sample and a subset of nine participants who likely met criteria for BPD were included. First, we explored within-group changes in general BPD symptoms, along with specific symptom domains. Improvements in total BPD symptoms were not observed in the full sample, whereas the UP resulted in moderate overall BPD symptom improvement among participants with BPD. Contrary to expectations, emotional difficulties did not exhibit larger effects than other domains. We also explored differences in within-person change in BPD scores during treatment based on patients’ FFM profiles at baseline. Change on BPD symptoms was not predicted by a typical BPD FFM profile. Possible explanations for the results and limitations were discussed.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2021.477
Recommended Citation
Fruhbauerova, Martina, "THE UTILITY OF THE UNIFIED PROTOCOL IN TREATING BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER" (2021). Theses and Dissertations--Psychology. 205.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/psychology_etds/205
