Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42228959›Full record

Trial reportJournal of clinical psychology2026

Predicting Change in Brief Treatment for BPD: The Role of Defensive Functioning and Pervasiveness in Relationship Patterns.

Meltem Yılmaz, Loris Grandjean, Hélène Beuchat, Setareh Ranjbar, Yves de Roten, Caterina Felici, Vittorio Lingiardi, Ueli Kramer

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Journal of clinical psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03717818 (Mechanisms of Change in Brief Treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT03717818 naunknown statusnot on this map

Mechanisms of Change in Brief Treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of Lausanne HospitalsRan2018 to 2022Enrolled80ConditionsBorderline Personality DisorderArmsGood Psychiatric Management - Brief, treatment as usual
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Meltem YılmazDepartment of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-5618-270X
Loris GrandjeanSchool of Psychology, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-7684-2501
Hélène BeuchatInstitute of Psychotherapy, Department of Psychiatry-CHUV, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0003-0068-656X
Setareh RanjbarDepartment of Psychiatry, Center for Psychiatric Epidemiology and Psychopathology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-0238-2976
Yves de RotenInstitute of Psychotherapy, Department of Psychiatry-CHUV, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-3228-4357
Caterina FeliciDepartment of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-3777-2747
Vittorio LingiardiDepartment of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-1298-3935
Ueli KramerInstitute of Psychotherapy, Department of Psychiatry-CHUV, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-5603-0394

Funding

Swiss National Science Foundation SNSF100014_179457/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBorderline personality disorder (BPD) is marked by unstable relationships and maladaptive defense mechanisms. This study examined whether defensive functioning and the pervasiveness of core conflictual relationship themes (CCRT) predict symptom change following 10-session General Psychiatric Management (GPM) versus Treatment as Usual (TAU) in patients with BPD.

methodSixty patients with BPD (75% female, mean age 29.6) in a randomized controlled trial completed the Relationship Anecdote Paradigm at pretreatment. Interviews were coded using the Defense Mechanisms Rating Scale-Q-sort and the CCRT method. Symptom severity change was assessed using the Zanarini Rating Scale for BPD as post-pre score differences for total and subscale measures. Multiple linear regressions were used for analysis.

resultsNeither overall defensive functioning (ODF) (b = -1.59, p = 0.36) nor overall CCRT pervasiveness (OCP) (b = 2.10, p = 0.46) predicted change in borderline symptom severity. However, the interaction between OCP and treatment was significant for affective disturbance (b = 13.55, p = 0.03): patients with low OCP ( < 70%) improved more under GPM, while those with high OCP benefited more from TAU. In TAU, low OCP ( < 50%) was associated with worsening affective symptoms.

conclusionsPatients with BPD whose relational patterns were less pervasive and who primarily seek relief from affective distress may particularly benefit from GPM. The preliminary findings further suggest that heightened caution may be warranted when providing TAU to patients with low CCRT pervasiveness.

trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03717818.

Indexed as

Borderline Personality DisorderDefense MechanismsInterpersonal RelationsPsychotherapy, BriefAdultFemaleHumansMaleSeverity of Illness IndexTreatment OutcomeYoung Adultborderline personality disordercore conflictual relationship themedefensive functioningpervasivenesstreatment outcome

Identifiers

PMID42228959
PMCPMC13441345

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