Can teaching staff about the neurobiological underpinnings of borderline personality disorder instigate attitudinal change?

Abstract

Background: There is an abundant literature on the unfavourable attitudes held by staff working in mental health care settings towards patients with borderline personality disorder. The aim of this study was to assess whether attendance at a training session about the neurobiological underpinnings of borderline personality disorder could improve knowledge and produce positive attitudinal change within staff members working in a low secure inpatient setting.Method: Staff knowledge and attitudes (Mental Health Locus of Origin, Empathic Concern and Perspective Taking) were assessed at baseline, post-training attendance and at an eight-week follow up.Results: Attendance at the training session was associated with significant increases in theoretical knowledge, Perspective Taking and Locus of Origin scores. However, there were no changes observed in Empathic Concern scores.Conclusion: This research suggests that a relatively brief training session, that utilises the neurobiological framework, can be effective in facilitating knowledge and attitudinal change for those working with borderline personality disorder. The implications of the findings are discussed along with suggestions for further research.

Mental health nurses’ attitudes, behaviour, experience and knowledge regarding adults with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder: systematic, integrative literature review

“…Finally, in relation to knowledge, participants in Clark et al . () study lacked knowledge at baseline related to genetics, neuroanatomy and cognitive dysfunction in BPD.…”

“…Clark et al . ). Given that nurses attribute greatest self‐controllability to BPD‐diagnosed patients relative to other groups (Markham & Trower , Forsyth ), a finding that could be problematic as such an attribution was related to negative emotions, there is a plausible potential mechanism to link knowledge with affect in the case of BPD.…”

“…,b, Clark et al . ), but little to suggest that affective attitudes or behaviour are improved. While there is therefore a case to conduct further intervention trials of greater rigour, there is also a need to systematically appraise and synthesise the wider body of empirical evidence about mental health nurses’ attitudes, behaviour, experience and knowledge regarding people with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder.…”

Mixed‐methods evaluation of an educational intervention to change mental health nurses' attitudes to people diagnosed with borderline personality disorder

“…A systematic review of existing studies involving an intervention to improve nurses’ attitudes revealed either no effect or a small effect size for 74% of all 35 measured outcomes, a medium effect size for 20% and a large effect size for 6% (Dickens, Hallett, & Lamont, ). Clark et al’s () evaluation of an educational intervention was responsible for the large effect sizes and three of the seven medium effect sizes. The intervention, “the science of borderline personality disorder,” was based on work by Porr () and draws on the theoretical work of Linehan ().…”

“…We developed “Positive About Borderline” for mental health nursing staff. It is a 1‐day BPD‐related training programme comprising two key elements: (a) “The science of borderline personality disorder” (see Clark et al, ) and (b) “Wot R U Like?” an expert by experience designed programme involving shared experience and practical advice on working with people with this diagnosis. The overall aim of the current study was to evaluate the intervention pilot.…”