Kurt, Yagizcan;
(2025)
A Multi-Method Investigation of Epistemic and Interpersonal Trust Disruptions in People with a Diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
Difficulties with trust are widely considered central to borderline personality disorder (BPD), yet their precise nature and mechanisms remain insufficiently understood. This thesis examined interpersonal trust and epistemic trust, defined as trust in communicated knowledge, using theoretical, meta-analytic, laboratory-based, and self-report approaches. An evolutionary perspective conceptualised epistemic mistrust and epistemic credulity as response biases shaped by the costs of different trust errors. A meta-analysis of laboratory-assessed mistrust (26 studies, 70 effect sizes) showed a small-to-moderate elevation in BPD compared to controls (Hedges’ g = 0.44). A second meta-analysis of self-reported mistrust (212 studies, 457 effect sizes, 119,691 participants) indicated a medium-to-large association with BPD features (r = .45). A novel laboratory paradigm was then developed to assess epistemic mistrust and epistemic credulity; no group differences (high versus low BPD features) or dimensional associations were observed, although small convergence with self-reported epistemic mistrust was found, while epistemic credulity proved difficult to capture behaviourally. In a large combined clinical and community sample (N = 1,129), parallel mediation analyses showed that adult insecure attachment predicted BPD features through both hypomentalising and epistemic mistrust, with epistemic mistrust emerging as the stronger pathway. Across studies, limitations included reliance on cross-sectional designs, self-report methods, and laboratory tasks with limited ecological validity. Overall, the findings indicate that interpersonal mistrust is associated with BPD, although its magnitude varies across methods, and that epistemic mistrust may be one mechanism linking attachment insecurity to BPD features. The thesis highlights the need for longitudinal, multi-method, and ecologically valid research, and points to the value of prioritising trust processes in the assessment and treatment of BPD.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | A Multi-Method Investigation of Epistemic and Interpersonal Trust Disruptions in People with a Diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2025. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences > Experimental Psychology |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10218729 |
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