Separation anxiety in a community sample of Italian emerging adults and its relationship with dimensions of borderline personality

Submitted: November 10, 2020
Accepted: February 16, 2021
Published: April 2, 2021
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Research studies focusing on separation anxiety and its relation with other measures of anxiety and personality-relevant variables in community samples are still scarce. This study aimed to describe in a dimensional perspective the relationship between separation anxiety symptoms, anxiety levels, and personality traits in a community sample of Italian emerging adults. A sample of 260 college students [mean age (Mage)=21.22, standard deviation (SD)=1.91, 79.6% females] completed the adult separation anxiety questionnaire-27 (ASA-27), the state and trait anxiety inventory-Y (STAI-Y), and the personality assessment inventory borderline scale (PAI-BOR). ASA-27 was significantly and positively correlated with the PAI borderline scale. The mediation model showed that ASA-27 influenced the PAI-BOR through trait anxiety. Clinical implications of the study for psychotherapy research are discussed.

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How to Cite

Bassi, G., Mancinelli, E., Di Riso, D., Lis, A., & Salcuni, S. (2021). Separation anxiety in a community sample of Italian emerging adults and its relationship with dimensions of borderline personality. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2021.506

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