Journal List > J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc > v.59(1) > 1143442

Choi, Kim, Kim, Park, Oh, and Seok: Effectiveness of Korean Mentalization Based Treatment in Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder : Preliminary Report on Interim Analysis

Abstract

Objectives

The treatment of borderline personality disorder (BPD) in Korea has been based mainly on individual psychopharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. No quantitative study has examined the effectiveness of group psychotherapy for patients with BPD in Korea. In the present study, the mentalization-based treatment (MBT) program developed from the Anna Freud Center in London was conducted in the author's hospital. This article presents the results of a preliminary analysis of the treatment effects of the Korean MBT for BPD.

Methods

The recruited subjects are patients diagnosed with BPD at Gangnam Severance Hospital. A psychological assessment was conducted at baseline and every six months during the treatment. Statistical analysis was performed using the data of 62 people at the baseline assessment, and the treatment effectiveness was analyzed with the data from 21 people who participated in the treatment group over six months.

Results

Borderline personality features were positively correlated with depressive symptoms, anxious attachment, avoidant attachment, and novelty seeking trait, and negatively correlated with self-directedness. After the 12-month treatment, the depressive symptoms and self-disclosure scores were improved significantly. In addition, the self-directedness, cooperativeness factor scores of the temperament and character inventory, and the self-regulation ability score of the resilience scale were also improved significantly.

Conclusion

This study suggests that the Korean MBT can improve depressive symptoms and induce positive changes in personality functioning. Although the number of people who continued MBT over 12 months was very small due to the high dropout rate, this study is the first quantitative study on the effects of the Korean MBT for BPD patients.

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Table 1.
Contents of each session of the explicit mentalization based treatment and dialectical behavioral therapy skill training
Session Content
1 What is mentalization and a mentalizing stance?
2 What dose it mean to have problems with mentalizing?
3 Why do we have emotions and what are the basic types?
4 How do we register and regulate emotions?
5 The significance of attachment relationships.
6 Attachment and mentalization.
7 What is a personality disorder? What is borderline personality disorder?
8 On mentalization-based treatment. Part 1.
9 On mentalization-based treatment. Part 2.
10 Anxiety, attachment, and mentalizing.
11 Depression, attachment, and mentalizing.
12 Summary and conclusion.
13 Interpersonal effectiveness : what is effective communication?
14 Mindfulness.
15 Emotion regulation.
16 Distress tolerance.
Table 2.
Demographic characteristics of patients at time of enrollment
Variable n (%) Variable n (%)
Sex    Occupation  
Male 11 (17.7)  Full-time position 12 (19.4)
 Female 51 (82.3)  Contingent job 6 (9.7)
Age    Student 15 (24.2)
 19 3 (4.8)  Homemaker 4 (6.5)
 20s 38 (61.3)  Inoccupation 18 (29.0)
 30s 15 (24.2)  etc. 7 (11.3)
 40s 6 (9.7) Family income (million-won)  
Educational background    <10 7 (11.3)
 High school graduate 4 (6.5)  10-19 5 (8.1)
 Junior college attendance/graduation 10 (16.1)  20-29 5 (8.1)
 University attendance/graduation 42 (67.7)  30-39 4 (6.5)
 Graduate school attendance/graduation 6 (9.7)  40-49 6 (9.7)
Marital status    50-59 2 (3.2)
 Single 45 (72.6)  ≥60 17 (27.4)
 Married 3 (4.8)  Do not know 16 (25.8)
 Cohabitation 2 (3.2)    
 Divorced 5 (8.1)    
 etc. 7 (11.3)    
Table 3.
Relationship of borderline personality traits with depression, attachment type, temperament, and character factors
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 -                  
2 0.604∗∗ -                
3 0.647∗∗ 0.439∗∗ -              
4 0.250 0.564∗∗ 0.030 -            
5 0.295 0.444∗∗ 0.118 0.140 -          
6 0.384∗∗ 0.254 0.438∗∗ 0.168 -0.031 -        
7 -0.356∗∗ -0.079 -0.666∗∗ 0.347∗∗ 0.053 -0.324 -      
8 -0.055 -0.092 -0.251 0.178 0.290 -0.538∗∗ 0.300 -    
9 -0.442∗∗ -0.372∗∗ -0.478∗∗ -0.065 -0.127 -0.771∗∗ 0.214 0.536∗∗ -  
10 -0.140 -0.260 -0.194 -0.085 -0.197 -0.400∗∗ 0.391∗∗ 0.199 0.200 -
11 -0.004 -0.063 0.091 -0.042 0.264 0.165 -0.090 0.181 -0.107 -0.109

1. Korean Version of Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology–Self-Report, 2. Personality Assessment Inventory-Borderline Features Scale, 3. ECR-avoidance attachment, 4. ECR-anxiety attachment, 5. TCI-novelty seeking, 6. TCI-harm avoidance, 7. TCI-eward dependence, 8. TCI-rersistence, 9. TCI-self-directedness, 10. TCI-cooperativeness, 11. TCI-self-transcendence.

p : 0.05,

∗∗ p : 0.01. ECR : Experiences in Close Relationship Questionnaire, TCI : Temperament and Character Inventory

Table 4.
Comparison of the results of a major variable between before treatment and 6-month after treatment
  Baseline 6-month follow up t/Z p-value
K-QIDS-SR 18.24 (8.43) 14.57 (8.15) 2.52 0.020
PAI-BOR 37.15 (12.13) 35.62 (9.56) 0.70 0.497
ECR
 Avoidance attachment 76.85 (17.52) 74.15 (13.54) 0.80 0.442
 Anxiety attachment 81.54 (12.14) 77.15 (10.78) 1.86 0.088
MZQ
 Refusing self-reflection 12.25 (2.80) 11.58 (2.87) 0.88 0.400
 Emotional awareness 14.17 (3.19) 14.33 (4.25) -0.18 0.864
 Psychic equivalence 15.00 (2.26) 13.17 (3.21) 2.30 0.042
 Regulation of affect 11.83 (2.41) 10.83 (3.43) 1.27 0.231
ICQ
 Building rapport 9.25 (1.86) 8.75 (3.62) -0.82 0.411
 Self-assertiveness 8.85 (2.60) 8.50 (3.58) -0.47 0.640
 Self-disclosure 5.00 (2.00) 5.83 (2.52) -2.12 0.034
 Empathy and understanding others 12.42 (1.98) 12.50 (2.32) -0.05 0.959

Data are presented as a mean (standard deviation). ∗ : Wilcoxon rank-sum test was done for non-parametric analysis. K-QIDS-SR Korean Version of Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self-Report, PAI-BOR : Personality Assessment Inventory–Border line Features Scale, ECR : Experiences in Close Relationship Questionnaire, MZQ : Mentalization Questionnaire, ICQ : Interpersona Competence Questionnaire

Table 5.
Changes of psychological characteristics after 12-month treatment
  Baseline 12-month t/Z p-value
K-QIDS-SR 15.38 (9.02) 9.53 (6.85) 2.60 0.023
PAI-BOR 37.31 (13.96) 32.15 (12.95) 1.43 0.177
ECR
 Avoidance attachment 70.46 (15.22) 68.62 (16.05) 0.37 0.719
 Anxiety attachment 79.69 (19.97) 76.46 (19.98) 0.84 0.416
KRQ-53
 Self-regulation 49.83 (10.06) 58.50 (14.75) -2.02 0.043
 Interpersonal relationship 52.33 (12.52) 60.00 (12.38) -1.89 0.058
 positiveness 49.00 (10.07) 54.67 (16.06) -1.08 0.279
TCI
 Novelty seeking 66.31 (12.64) 63.00 (12.13) 1.57 0.142
 Harm avoidance 64.08 (12.14) 59.69 (16.77) 1.50 0.160
 Reward dependence 47.00 (11.71) 51.38 (11.02) -1.79 0.098
 Persistence 43.54 (12.36) 45.15 (11.46) -0.56 0.588
 Self-directedness 29.54 (12.38) 39.69 (14.81) -3.14 0.009
 Cooperativeness 37.15 (17.52) 44.38 (15.03) -3.43 0.005
 Self-transcsendence 52.54 (11.43) 39.69 (14.81) 2.38 0.035
MZQ
 Refusing self-reflection 12.00 (2.45) 11.29 (2.43) 1.11 0.310
 Emotional awareness 13.57 (3.31) 12.43 (5.09) 0.83 0.436
 Psychic equivalence 14.57 (2.70) 13.71 (3.35) 1.11 0.308
 Regulation of affect 11.43 (2.70) 10.00 (3.32) 1.59 0.162
ICQ
 Building rapport 9.86 (1.68) 9.86 (3.72) -0.14 0.892
 Self-assertiveness 8.57 (3.21) 8.57 (4.08) -0.11 0.915
 Self-disclosure 4.86 (1.57) 6.14 (2.19) -1.98 0.047
 Empathy and understanding others 11.86 (1.95) 11.86 (2.12) -0.32 0.750

Data are presented as a mean (standard deviation). ∗ : Wilcoxon rank-sum test was done for non-parametric analysis. K-QIDS-SR : Korean Version of Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self-Report, PAI-BOR : Personality Assessment Inventory–Border-line Features Scale, KRQ-53 : Korean Resilience Quotient test-53, TCI : Temperament and Character Inventory, MZQ : Mentalization Questionnaire, ICQ : Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire

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