To investigate the associations between self-esteem and culturally relevant inner strengths among Thai university students with borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms.
Approach:
Study Design: A regularized psychological network approach was employed to analyze partial associations between self-esteem and Ten Pāramī-based inner strengths among 346 Thai university students identified with BPD symptoms.
Key Findings:
A predominantly positive pattern of associations was found among inner strengths.
The strongest association was between Generosity and Loving-kindness.
Self-esteem showed consistent associations with Determination and Equanimity.
Negative associations involving Truthfulness, Perseverance, and Equanimity were noted but should be treated as exploratory.
Gender-stratified analyses indicated a sparse network in the male subsample.
Interpretation:
The findings highlight a small set of co-occurring inner strengths linked to self-esteem in Thai university students with BPD symptoms.
Limitations:
The study's cross-sectional design limits the interpretation of associations as causal.
Centrality estimates were found to have limited stability, suggesting exploratory findings.
Conclusion:
The study provides a basis for understanding strengths-based skills in university settings.
