Articles
2 April 2021
Vol. 24 No. 1 (2021)
https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2021.506

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

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Emerging adulthood, adult separation anxiety, trait anxiety, state anxiety, borderline features.
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Authors

Giulia Bassi
giulia.bassi@phd.unipd.it
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7239-3021
Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, Padova; Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Trento, Italy.
Elisa Mancinelli
Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Daniela Di Riso
Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Adriana Lis
Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Silvia Salcuni
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1798-5761
Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.

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



Separation anxiety in a community sample of Italian emerging adults and its relationship with dimensions of borderline personality. (2021). Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2021.506