Background: Borderline personality disorder and its associated traits can have disabling consequences for individuals. Social cognition and interaction training, as an innovative intervention, has been shown to improve various aspects of social cognition. However, it has not yet been studied in individuals with traits of borderline personality disorder.
Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of social cognition and interaction training on improving interpersonal relationships, theory of mind, and emotion processing in individuals with borderline personality disorder traits. Methodology: This study used a quasi-experimental design with pre- and post-tests, a control group, and a follow-up. Participants were recruited via multi-stage cluster random sampling. The final sample comprised 38 individuals, with 16 in the experimental group and 22 in the control group. Data were collected using the Lishnering Borderline Personality Questionnaire (1999), the Barham et al. Interpersonal Problems Questionnaire (1996), the Baker et al. Emotion Processing Scale (2010), and the computerized version of the Baron-Cohen et al. Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (2001). The experimental group received a 10-week Social Cognition and Interaction Training (SCIT) intervention; the control group received no intervention. Findings: The results indicated that the SCIT intervention significantly improved interpersonal relationships (P < 0.01), theory of mind (P < 0.05), and emotion processing (P < 0.01) in the experimental group. These improvements were maintained in the short-term follow-up.
Conclusions: The SCIT program could serve as an innovative approach to enhance social functioning in individuals with borderline personality disorder traits and open new avenues for future research.