احمد عسگری زاده

This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of dichotomous thinking and social trust in the relationship between insecure attachment dimensions and features of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).  The statistical population consisted of university students from 20 provinces in Iran, with data collected from February to March 2021. A correlational design based on structural equation modeling was used, involving 436 university students selected through convenience sampling. Participants completed self-report measures, including the Personality Assessment Inventory-Borderline Scale, Adult Attachment Inventory, Social Trust Questionnaire, and Dichotomous Thinking Inventory. Structural equation modeling was applied to test the proposed model.  The serial mediation model showed that dichotomous thinking mediated the relationship between insecure attachment dimensions and social trust, which in turn predicted features of BPD. The predictor variables explained 4%, 50%, and 60% of the variance in dichotomous thinking, social trust, and BPD features, respectively.  The pathway by which attachment insecurities influence BPD features varies by attachment dimension. Furthermore, social mistrust, rather than dichotomous thinking, serves as a key mechanism through which attachment insecurities contribute to BPD features. Addressing social mistrust may provide a more comprehensive understanding of BPD.

The number of systematic reviews or secondary-level evidence is proliferating, even more than the increase in primary studies. Controversial topics, biased findings, and inconclusive evidence have led policymakers and researchers toward the tertiary level of evidence, that is, “umbrella review”. Despite the fact that umbrella reviews are a relatively new methodology, their numbers have steeply risen in the last decades, suggesting a growing interest and need in this line of research. Several guidelines have been published on conducting umbrella reviews; however, the existing incongruities leave researchers confused about the best way of practice. In the current study, we aimed to clarify the necessity, circumstances, challenges, and pitfalls of umbrella reviews. Lastly, step-by-step guidelines are proposed for the procedure of conducting and drafting the report of an umbrella review. We hope that the present text and the provided practical instructions draw the attention of the Iranian academic community to umbrella reviews s.

The aim of the current study was to investigate the mediational role of emotion dysregulation in the association between reflective functioning and social trust.

This study was descriptive-correlational and its statistical population included university students across 20 provinces of Iran. Our sample was composed of 441 university students (291 female, 150 male), who were recruited through convenience sampling. All participants completed a battery of self-report measures, including the Social Trust Questionnaire (Saffarinia & Sharif, 1392), Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (Fonagy et al., 2016), and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale–Short Form (Kaufman et al., 2016). Descriptive analyses were conducted using SPSS v26, and mediation testing was carried out using PROCESS macro v4.1.

Correlation analyses demonstrated significant associations between all variables (p<.001). The total effect of reflective functioning on social trust was significant, as well as the direct effect of reflective functioning on emotion dysregulation, and the direct effect of emotion dysregulation on social trust (p<.001). When emotion dysregulation was entered as a mediator, the direct effect of reflective functioning on social trust did not remain significant (p>.01), while the indirect effect mediated by emotion dysregulation was significant (CI: -.061 to -.192).

Our findings support the role of self-focused reflective functioning in the development of social mistrust. Unawareness of the mental states of oneself leads to intrapersonal and interpersonal dysregulation of emotions. In turn, belief in the untrustworthiness of others may stem from the projection of internal feelings or emotion dysregulation.

The Revised Adult Attachment Scale (RAAS) is a well-established self-report measure for research purposes. Its three-factor structure has been employed in Iranian populations for years, despite the lack of evidence to support its psychometric properties. The current study aimed to assess the factor structure, convergent validity, and reliability of RAAS in Iranian community adults.

A sample of 605 participants (354 females, 251 males) was randomly divided into two samples (n1 = 303, n2 = 302) for factor analytic purposes. Along with RAAS, measures of mentalizing capacity, emotion dysregulation and borderline personality disorder were administered. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were applied to evaluate the factor structures proposed for its original version.

Overall, factor analyses suggested the two-factor structure (i.e., anxiety and avoidance) to be the better fit for the data. Due to weak factor loading, six items were removed, resulting in a 12-item scale. Furthermore, Anxiety and avoidance demonstrated significant correlations with attachment-related instruments (p<.001) and their internal consistencies were also acceptable (α = .83 and .76, respectively).

Our findings were congruent with previous theoretical underpinnings and provided support for the Iranian adaptation of RAAS in the general population.

Shame is a self-conscious emotion that can be named psychological pain. The consensus is that shame has adaptive and maladaptive aspects. In other words, although shame warns individuals about the loss of their social position, its experience could lead to different types of psychopathology, namely personality pathology. The aim of the current study was (1) to explore the theoretical perspectives about the association between shame and personality disorders and (2) to investigate the congruency of empirical findings with the aforesaid theories. By conducting a narrative review of the most significant references existing in the literature, we found that most of the theories and studies were about cluster B personality disorders (and in particular, about borderline, antisocial, and narcissistic personality disorders). Shame plays a distinct role in the development and maintenance of the above-said personality disorders. The most notable difference is related to the level of consciousness in which shame is processed. Moreover, particularly in the relationship between shame, grandiose narcissism, psychopathy, and antisocial personality disorder, inconsistencies among theories and empirical findings were observed. Experiencing shame could have enduring impacts on individuals' mental health. When shame is internalized, it may lead to the development of personality disorders in different ways and patterns.

Shame is a debilitating self-conscious emotion that could be experienced whether in company or alone. A vast body of research links shame-proneness, that is, the propensity to experience shame in the absence of proportionate stimuli, to a whole range of psychopathologies. There is consensus among renowned theorists that shame-proneness has developmental roots. attachment insecurities and mentalizing incapacity, which develop hand in hand in the context of early childhood experiences, are postulated to contribute to shame-proneness. Despite the richness in conceptualizations, we believe there is a lack of evidence in support of the hypothesized associations. In this paper, we aimed to integrate the theoretical and empirical literature associating shame-proneness, attachment styles, and mentalizing capacity, and to provide directions for future studies.