Impact of Mindful Self-Compassion Therapy on Self Harm Behaviors, Emotional Regulation and Quality of Life Among Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder

Impact of Mindful Self-Compassion Therapy on Self Harm Behaviors, Emotional Regulation and Quality of Life Among Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The primary purpose of the study is to investigate whether Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) therapy can significantly reduce self-harm behaviors, improve emotional regulation, and enhance the quality of life in individuals diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). The study aims to contribute to the existing literature by providing robust evidence on the efficacy of MSC therapy for BPD, which could inform clinical practices and improve treatment outcomes

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Psychological Distress; Self Harm; Emotional Regulation; Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD); Quality of Life (QOL)
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Mindful Self Compassion Therapy

Detailed Description

The current quantitative study will be carried out in two phases. A cross-sectional survey will assess quality of life, emotional regulation, psychological distress, self-harm behaviors, social support, and state of mindfulness during the first phase. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be done during the second phase where patients with Borderline Personality Disorder who are identified with psychological distress, low level of social support, and quality of life, will be categorized into two groups i.e. waitlist control group and intervention group through the process of randomization. Then Mindful Self Compassion therapy would be applied to participants in the intervention group. The control group is the waitlist control group so initially no intervention will be given to participants in the control group but the intervention will be given to the control group participants once the study is completed. The Mindful Self Compassion therapy would be implemented on participants using individual and in-person modes. The pre-and post-assessment will be done at Times 1 and 2 within and between control and interventional groups. After doing post-assessment the difference between pre and post-assessment will be compared to explore the efficacy of Mindful Self Compassion Therapy in patients with borderline personality.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 60
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Sajida Naz, PhD; Phone Number: +923235493535; Email: dr.sajida@fjwu.edu.pk
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Asma Mansoor, PhD Scholar; Phone Number: +923365374633; Email: asmansoor31@yahoo.com

Study Locations

• Pakistan
  • Punjab Province
    • Rawalpindi, Punjab Province, Pakistan, 46000
      • Recruiting
      • Commandant Afimh
      • Contact: Commandant Afimh; Phone Number: 0320 5080050
      • Contact: Asma Mansoor, PhD Scholar; Phone Number: 03365374633; Email: asmansoor31@yahoo.com
      • Principal Investigator: Asma Mansoor, PhD Scholar
    • Rawalpindi, Punjab Province, Pakistan, 46000
      • Recruiting
      • Farid Family Hospital
      • Principal Investigator: Asma Mansoor, PhD Scholar
      • Contact: Medical, Superintendent; Phone Number: (051) 5124470
      • Contact: Asma Mansoor; Email: asmansoor31@yahoo.com
      • Sub-Investigator: Sehrish Khan

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 1. First time diagnosed non-hospitalized patients of Borderline Personality Disorder.

  2. Patients of Borderline Personality Disorder experiencing psychological distress,low level of quality of life, social support, emotional dysregulation would be included.

  3. Borderline Personality Disorder patients with age 18 years and above (both gender) from outpatient department (OPD) 4. Borderline personality patients who would be able to understand Urdu language and can give the informed consent

• Exclusion criteria

The study would have the following exclusion criteria:

1. Hospitalized patients of Borderline Personality
2. Patients with Borderline Personality having other chronic co-morbid diseases such as cancer, cognitive deficits, and other chronic psychological disorders.
3. Patients with Borderline Personality younger than 18 years of age

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Waitlist Control; Who would receive intervention after study completion	Behavioral: Mindful Self Compassion Therapy; Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) therapy is an 8-week program blending mindfulness and self-compassion to improve emotional resilience and well-being. Week 1: Introduction - Learn the basics of mindfulness, self-compassion, and reframing self-critical thoughts with kindness. Week 2: Mindfulness - Practice observing thoughts and emotions without judgment to build self-awareness. Week 3: Self-Kindness - Develop skills to treat yourself with warmth and care during difficult times. Week 4: Common Humanity - Explore shared human experiences to reduce feelings of isolation. Week 5: Working with Challenges - Learn strategies to respond compassionately to emotional pain. Week 6: Growing Compassion - Deepen compassion for yourself and others through guided exercises. Week 7: Resilience Building - Strengthen coping skills and foster emotional flexibility. Week 8: Integration - Consolidate skills to maintain self-compassion in daily life.
Experimental: Experimental; Who receives intervention i.e. Mindful Self Compassion Therapy	Behavioral: Mindful Self Compassion Therapy; Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) therapy is an 8-week program blending mindfulness and self-compassion to improve emotional resilience and well-being. Week 1: Introduction - Learn the basics of mindfulness, self-compassion, and reframing self-critical thoughts with kindness. Week 2: Mindfulness - Practice observing thoughts and emotions without judgment to build self-awareness. Week 3: Self-Kindness - Develop skills to treat yourself with warmth and care during difficult times. Week 4: Common Humanity - Explore shared human experiences to reduce feelings of isolation. Week 5: Working with Challenges - Learn strategies to respond compassionately to emotional pain. Week 6: Growing Compassion - Deepen compassion for yourself and others through guided exercises. Week 7: Resilience Building - Strengthen coping skills and foster emotional flexibility. Week 8: Integration - Consolidate skills to maintain self-compassion in daily life.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale Urdu Version	It has 26 items and four domains: physical health (7 items), psychological health (6 items), social relationships (3 items), and environmental health (8 items); it also contains quality of life and general health items. The minimum value is 26 and the maximum value is 130. Higher scores on the scale indicate higher quality of life and low scores indicate low quality of life.	3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Fatima Jinnah Women University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Asma Mansoor, PhD Scholar, Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• Related Info

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 21, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 30, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 19, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 19, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): November 21, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): September 2, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 29, 2025
• Last Verified: August 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Behavioral Symptoms; Personality Disorders; Behavior; Social Behavior; Self-Control; Borderline Personality Disorder; Self-Injurious Behavior; Emotional Regulation
• Other Study ID Numbers: FJWU/EC/2024/94

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Due to ethical concerns the data will not be shared. All research findings will be published in aggregate form maintaining patient anonymity

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No