Effects of mindfulness training on different components of impulsivity in borderline personality disorder: results from a pilot randomized study

BACKGROUND: Impulsivity is considered a core characteristic of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Previous research on the effects of mindfulness training (MT) has shown that it might modify impulsivity-related aspects of BPD. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the impact of MT on various facets of impulsivity in BPD patients. METHODS: Subjects with BPD diagnosis (n = 64) were randomly assigned to 10 weeks of MT (n = 32) or interpersonal effectiveness skills training (IE; n = 32). All participants were assessed pre- and post-intervention with a self-reported measure of impulsivity and five behavioral neuropsychological tasks to evaluate response inhibition, tolerance for delay rewards, and time perception. RESULTS: An interaction effect of time × group was only observed for some of the behavioral paradigms used. Participants in the MT group improved their ability to delay gratification and showed changes in time perception, consistent with a decrease in impulsivity. No differences were observed between treatments in terms of trait impulsivity and response inhibition. CONCLUSIONS: Mindfulness training might improve some aspects of impulsivity but not others. Further study is warranted to better determine the effects of mindfulness training on the components of impulsivity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02397031. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40479-015-0035-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.