Attributions of difficult behaviors of people with borderline personality disorder from mental health professionals: Self-efficacy and professional quality of life

Manuscript (ελληνικά)
Published: Apr 24, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/psy_hps.45336
Keywords:
borderline personality disorder, difficult behaviour, mental health professionals, causal attributions, self-efficacy, professional quality of life
Ioanna Markozannes
M.Sc. in Counselling Psychology, University of Thessaly
https://orcid.org/0009-0004-4922-2111
Georgios Kleftaras
Department of Special Education, University of Thessaly
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8469-1544
Abstract

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is often met with prejudice, even by mental health professionals, but research data on the factors that may influence these professionals is limited. The aim of this study is to explore mental health professional’s causal attributions for difficult behaviours in individuals with BPD in Greece, with a specific focus on the relationship between these attributions and professional’s levels of self-efficacy and professional quality of life. The study was conducted with a sample of 85 mental health professionals (ages 24 to 57). The following psychometric tools were administered: a modified version of the Causal Attribution Scale, the General Self-Efficacy Scale, the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL 5), and a brief demographic questionnaire. The results showed that participants tended to attribute difficult behaviors to internal and stable factors of the individual rather than to external or controllable ones. No association was found with self-efficacy, whereas professional quality of life demonstrated certain associations, particularly between compassion, satisfaction and control attribution. These findings suggest that Greek mental health professionals’ perceptions of the behaviors of individuals with BPD partly diverge from international evidence and underscore the importance of professional quality of life in shaping positive and therapeutically meaningful attitudes.

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