A recent study, published in Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, has found that maladaptive daydreaming is linked to self-suppression escapism and emotional dysregulation among individuals with borderline personality disorder and depression. The new findings suggest that maladaptive daydreaming serves as an avoidance-based strategy for regulating emotions and can manifest in individuals with a range of mental health conditions.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a complex mental health disorder characterized by pervasive instability in moods, behavior, self-image, and functioning. Individuals with BPD often experience intense episodes of anger, depression, and anxiety that can last from a few hours to days. They may also struggle with maintaining stable relationships due to an intense fear of abandonment and a pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships.
Maladaptive daydreaming is a condition characterized by excessive, vivid daydreaming that significantly interferes with daily functioning and responsibilities. Individuals with this condition often spend hours lost in intricate, highly detailed fantasies, which can provide an escape from reality but also lead to neglect of personal relationships, work, or education.
Although previously linked to conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder, the relationship between maladaptive daydreaming and BPD had not been extensively studied. Recognizing the complex emotional experiences of those with BPD — such as intense mood swings, challenges in maintaining stable relationships, and impulsive behaviors — the researchers sought to explore how these individuals might use daydreaming as a coping mechanism.
“We noticed there were no studies concerning whether people with borderline personality disorder also struggle with maladaptive daydreaming. As we could see possible links between the two, based on previous research, we’ve decided to investigate. If our hypothesis were true, it could be of use to clinicians who help people struggling with both BPD and maladaptive daydreaming,” said study author Anna Pyszkowska of the University of Silesia in Katowice.
The study included 188 participants, split into two groups: 102 individuals diagnosed with BPD and 86 with depression. The research employed several well-established psychological scales to measure various aspects of emotional experience and daydreaming.
The Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale assessed challenges in managing emotions, while the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale quantified the extent and nature of daydreaming behaviors. Additionally, the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale helped gauge the degree of self-stigmatization participants felt about their mental health condition. The Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale and the Escapism Scale were used to understand experiences of pleasure and tendencies toward escapism, respectively. Affect, or emotional response, was measured using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule.
The researchers found that individuals with BPD experience higher levels of emotional dysregulation and internalized stigma than those with depression. This includes challenges in controlling impulses and being aware of one’s emotional state. Interestingly, while the rates of maladaptive daydreaming were similar in both groups, those with BPD showed a greater tendency toward escapism — both as a means of suppressing difficult emotions and as a way of expanding their experiences.
“People often take to heart negative comments about themselves and start believing them,” Pyszkowska told PsyPost. “As it’s not very pleasant to think about yourself, ‘I’m crazy,’ they look for a way to escape, which in itself may lead to negative consequences for them.”
In terms of emotional affect, people with BPD exhibited higher negative affect compared to the depression group. This suggests a more intense experience of negative emotions like sadness or anger. The study also found significant correlations, such as between maladaptive daydreaming and self-suppression escapism, and between emotional dysregulation and internalized stigma.
A deeper analysis using network techniques revealed distinct patterns in the way these variables interacted within each group. For instance, in BPD individuals, positive affect (feelings of happiness or satisfaction) was strongly linked to self-expansion escapism, indicating a complex relationship between positive emotions and coping strategies. On the other hand, in the depression group, there was a notable connection between negative affect and social withdrawal due to internalized stigma, highlighting different emotional coping mechanisms.
“There were no differences between people with depression and people with BPD in maladaptive daydreaming,” Pyszkowska said. “Yet they did differ when it came to relationships between maladaptive daydreaming and other variables. It was fascinating to see how this one phenomenon can be so differently connected to different aspects depending on a group.”
While the study offers significant insights, it is not without limitations. The participant group was predominantly female, raising questions about the applicability of these findings across genders. Looking ahead, the researchers suggest that future studies should incorporate both quantitative and qualitative data, such as clinical interviews, to gain a deeper understanding of specific symptoms and their relation to daydreaming in both BPD and depression.
“In our study, we relied on questionnaire data – further studies could provide much more new information by carrying out clinical interviews with participants,” Pyszkowska explained. “It could give us information about particular symptoms and their role in maladaptive daydreaming and internalized stigma.”
The study, “Maladaptive daydreaming, emotional dysregulation, affect and internalized stigma in persons with borderline personality disorder and depression disorder: A network analysis”, was authored by Anna Pyszkowska, Julia Celban, Ari Nowacki, and Izabela Dubiel.
