The Relationship between Self-Compassion, Perceived Social Support, and Self-esteem with Women's Borderline Personality Symptoms, Mediating Role of Aloneness and Hopelessness

The study aimed to investigate the relationship between self-compassion, perceived social support, and Self-esteem with borderline personality symptoms mediated by aloneness and hopelessness. The research method was descriptive-correlational which was done through structural equation modeling. The study population consisted of women in Isfahan city, 262 of whom were selected by available sampling and were assessed with self-compassion, perceived social support, self-esteem, Borderline Personality Symptoms, Feeling of loneliness and Beck's hopelessness scales. The results of structural equation modeling indicated a good fit of the research model. Findings showed that self-compassion is directly related to feelings of loneliness and borderline personality symptoms, as well as self-compassion indirectly affecting the symptoms of borderline personality disorder by affecting the feeling of loneliness. The results showed that social support and self-esteem had a direct and negative relationship with feelings of loneliness, hopelessness and borderline personality symptoms. Social support and self-esteem also affect the symptoms of borderline personality disorder through feelings of loneliness and hopelessness. The findings of the present study, in addition to practical implications, has provide a useful framework for identifying the components that affect the formation and development of borderline personality disorder in women.