BackgroundData from general psychology suggest that body self-evaluation is linked to self-esteem and social emotions. Although these emotions are fragile in individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD), body self-evaluation is clearly understudied in BPD research.MethodsA total of 200 women took part in the study: 80 female BPD patients, and 47 healthy and 73 clinical controls including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Diagnoses were established through standardised interviews conducted by experienced psychologists. The participants used the Survey of Body Areas to indicate which areas of their own bodies they liked or disliked and to mark the locations of physical scars.ResultsCompared to healthy controls, both BPD patients and patients with PTSD after CSA had a predominantly negative body self-evaluation (Cohen’s d = 1.42 and 1.38, respectively). As indicated by multilevel analyses, scars were related to a negative evaluation of the affected areas in BPD patients, but not in the control groups. Subgroup analyses revealed that the negative body self-evaluation applies to both BPD patients with and without PTSD or reported CSA.ConclusionsBPD patients show a negative body self-evaluation which is associated with the presence of scars but not with CSA.

Self-criticism is significantly associated with a variety of mental health difficulties affecting vulnerability, presentation, progress, and recovery. In contrast, self-reassurance is associated with good mental health, psychological well-being, and beneficial physiological processes. The 22-item Forms of Self-Criticizing/Attacking and Self-Reassuring Scale (FSCRS) is an internationally used self-report questionnaire for measuring manifestation and changes in different types of self-criticism and self-reassurance. It has been shown to be a valid and reliable measure in clinical and nonclinical samples. In the present study, a German translation of the FSCRS and its 3 subscales (hated self, inadequate self, reassured self) was provided, and the factor structure and psychometric properties were examined in 415 participants from 4 different population samples: (a) a sample from the general population, (b) a sample of psychiatric residential and outpatients, (c) a clinical sample of residential and outpatients with a primary diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD), and (d) a sample of healthy control participants. Results from confirmatory factor analysis favored a 3-factor solution of the German FSCRS. Furthermore, findings indicate that the German version of the FSCRS and its subscales had good to excellent internal consistencies. Convergent validity was good for all 3 subscales as shown by medium to large correlations with established measures of self-criticism, self-compassion, self-esteem, satisfaction with life, symptoms of depression and anxiety, and secure attachment styles. Additionally, the 3 FSCRS subscales discriminated significantly between the clinical and nonclinical samples, with the BPD sample demonstrating significantly higher levels than the other samples on the hated self subscale.

The cultivation of compassion is associated with beneficial effects on physical and psychological health, satisfaction with life and social relationships. However, some individuals, especially those high in psychopathological symptoms or those with particular disorders such as borderline personality disorder (BPD) may demonstrate pronounced fears of engagement in compassionate experiences or behaviours. Furthermore, fears of compassion have been found to impede progress in psychotherapy. The 38‐item fears of compassion scales (FCS) is a self‐report questionnaire for measuring trait levels of fears of compassion (a) one receives from others (FCFO), (b) one feels towards others (FCTO) and (c) one feels for oneself (self‐compassion; FSC). The FCS is an internationally used instrument of proven validity and reliability in both clinical and nonclinical samples. In the present study, a German translation of the FCS including its three subscales was provided, and the psychometric properties were examined in 430 participants from four different samples: (a) a sample from the general population; (b) a mixed sample of psychiatric residential and outpatients; (c) a clinical sample of residential and outpatients with a primary diagnosis of BPD and (d) a sample of healthy control participants. Internal consistencies were excellent for the German version of the FSC and acceptable to excellent for its subscales. Correlations with established measures of mental health demonstrate its validity. Additionally, the German FCS discriminates significantly between individuals from the general population and patients, thus supporting its specificity. The German FCS is suitable to detect potential obstacles in cultivating compassion in psychotherapeutic treatments and beyond.