Dialectical Behavior Therapy in managing romantic relationships in patients with Borderline Personality Disorder: Emotional regulation in romantic conflicts

Abstract

Romantic relationships play a central role in the psychopathological dynamics of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), serving as privileged contexts for emotional validation, but also for intense psychic vulnerability. Individuals with BPD exhibit recurring patterns of affective instability, fear of abandonment, impulsivity, and interpersonal difficulties, which tend to intensify in intimate relationships, fostering cycles of conflict and relational suffering. In this context, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) stands out as an evidence-based psychotherapeutic approach focused on emotional regulation and the development of interpersonal skills. This study aimed to analyze the contributions of DBT to the management of romantic relationships in patients with BPD, with an emphasis on the emotional regulation processes involved in affective conflicts. This is a narrative literature review, with a qualitative and theoretical-analytical approach, based on the analysis of national and international studies published in the last 20 years, selected from recognized databases in the field of Psychology and Mental Health. The results indicate that emotional dysregulation constitutes a central axis in understanding romantic conflicts in BPD, being aggravated by adversarial relational experiences, such as instability and intimate partner violence. The evidence presented suggests that the skills proposed by DBT, such as mindfulness, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness, act in an integrated way to reduce emotional reactivity, impulsivity, and dysfunctional relational patterns, promoting greater stability and functionality in affective bonds. It is concluded that DBT presents relevant contributions to the clinical management of romantic conflicts in patients with BPD, reinforcing the importance of interventions that consider the relational context as a central element in therapeutic planning.