The Disclosure Decision-Making Process of Borderline Personality Disorder in Romantic Relationships
Abstract
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe psychiatric condition associated with significant stigmas. Unlike stigmatized physical health conditions, BPD is invisible in social interactions. Subsequently, individuals with BPD face the challenging task of deciding if they should conceal or share their diagnosis. The examination of health information disclosure has been overall limited to physical health conditions. This qualitative study sought to address this gap in the literature by exploring how individuals with a BPD diagnosis navigate through disclosure decisions in romantic relationships. The purposive sample consisted of 14 participants between the ages of 21 and 37 (M = 29.29, SD = 5.39). The study employed the phenomenological methodology for data collection and analysis. Twelve interrelated themes offered an in-depth account of the complexity of considerations behind a disclosure decision: (a) disclosure barrier: the fear of stigmatization, (b) disclosure barrier and motivation: the preparation of a BPD diagnosis, (c) disclosure motivation: the perceived prognosis of BPD, (d) disclosure motivation: the manifestation and interpersonal relevance of BPD, (e) disclosure motivation: the positive relational quality, (f) disclosure barrier and motivation: the anticipated disclosure reaction, (g) disclosure motivation: disclosure efficacy, (h) disclosure barrier: the worry of being pigeonholed by BPD, (i) disclosure motivation: BPD as a critical part of the self, (j) neither a motivation nor a barrier: the COVID-19 pandemic, (k) the ultimate disclosure motivation, and (l) facilitating disclosure decision-making: the role of mental health professionals. Findings from the current study have implications for future research and clinical practices.
Subject Area
Counseling Psychology|Clinical psychology|Personality psychology|Mental health
Recommended Citation
Dong, Xiaoxiao, "The Disclosure Decision-Making Process of Borderline Personality Disorder in Romantic Relationships" (2024). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI31293332.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI31293332
