The Relationship Between Memory Control, Emotion Dysregulation and Subclinical Borderline Symptoms

Abstract: This study aims to investigate the relationship between memory control ability and a range of borderline personality symptoms in nonclinical participants. It also aims to explore whether emotion regulation skills are a mediator of this relationship. 61 participants completed an adapted, online think/no think experiment using scene-object picture pairs to investigate their memory control. They also completed questionnaires measuring their emotion regulation skills, borderline symptoms and thought control ability. A within-subjects design was used with mixed-methods data collection. Regression analyses revealed a statistically significant negative relationship between subclinical borderline symptom severity and memory control. Nevertheless, emotion regulation skill was not a mediator of the relationship. However results should be interpreted with care due to the novelty of the method. The results add to previous findings on memory control in borderline diagnosed populations, suggesting that with an increase in subclinical borderline symptoms, memory control worsens. Further research is needed to identify whether memory control can be improved as a skill, thereby potentially providing a simple solution for those without a diagnosis but with symptoms that still reduce quality of life.