“Someone catching me when I’m falling”: a qualitative study exploring satisfaction in romantic relationships where one partner has borderline personality disorder - Summary - MDSpire
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Exploring Relationship Satisfaction in Partnerships Involving a Partner with Borderline Personality Disorder: A Qualitative Analysis
To understand how couples, where one partner has borderline personality disorder (BPD), experience their intimate relationships and identify constructive behaviors that contribute to their longevity and satisfaction.
Approach:
Methodology: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six couples engaged in long-term relationships, analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).
Key Findings:
Two key themes were identified: navigating the impacts of the disorder and safe base and secure attachment.
The partner without BPD can serve as a stable base, enabling open communication.
Feeling secure promotes emotion regulation and remission from symptoms in individuals with BPD.
Interpretation:
The study emphasizes the role of secure attachment and stable interpersonal transactions in fostering relationship satisfaction for couples involving a partner with BPD.
Limitations:
The sample size was small, consisting of only six couples.
Findings may not be generalizable to all couples with one partner having BPD.
Conclusion:
Reorientation of interpersonal transactions can lead to improved emotional stability and long-term relationship satisfaction for individuals with BPD.
