Distress Tolerance and Rejection Sensitivity as Predictors of Borderline Traits

Daiki Tanaka; Haruka Nishimura; Sabine Kraus

doi:10.61838/kman.jarac.7.3.13

Authors

Daiki Tanaka Department of Educational Psychology, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

Haruka Nishimura * Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan haruka.nishimura@osaka-u.ac.jp

Sabine Kraus Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA

https://doi.org/10.61838/kman.jarac.7.3.13

Keywords:

Borderline personality traits, distress tolerance, rejection sensitivity

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to examine the predictive roles of distress tolerance and rejection sensitivity in borderline personality traits among Japanese adults.

Methods and Materials: A correlational descriptive design was used to explore the relationships between psychological predictors and borderline traits. The sample consisted of 500 adults from Japan, selected based on the Morgan and Krejcie sample size table. Participants completed the Borderline Features Scale of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI-BOR), the Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS), and the Adult Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire (A-RSQ). Data analysis was conducted using SPSS-27. Descriptive statistics were first calculated, followed by Pearson correlation coefficients to examine bivariate relationships. A multiple linear regression analysis was then performed to assess the combined and independent predictive effects of distress tolerance and rejection sensitivity on borderline traits.

Findings: Pearson correlation results revealed that borderline traits were significantly negatively correlated with distress tolerance (r = −.48, p < .001) and positively correlated with rejection sensitivity (r = .54, p < .001). The regression model was statistically significant, F(2, 497) = 150.72, p < .001, with an R² value of .38, indicating that 38% of the variance in borderline traits was explained by the two predictors. Both distress tolerance (β = −.31, p < .001) and rejection sensitivity (β = .45, p < .001) independently and significantly contributed to the prediction of borderline traits.

Conclusion: These results highlight the importance of incorporating assessments and interventions targeting emotional regulation and interpersonal sensitivity in efforts to prevent or reduce borderline symptomatology, particularly within culturally specific contexts such as Japan.

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