Invalidating Environment and Emotional Vulnerability as Predictors of Maladaptive Daydreaming: A Comparison Across Low and High Borderline Personality Disorder Symptom Groups.

Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is a mental disorder characterized by excessive, immersive fantasy activity that interferes with daily functioning. Considering that emotion dysregulation has been identified as a characteristic of both MD and borderline personality disorder (BPD), predictors of MD will probably be the same as those specified by the biosocial model of BPD. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to identify MD predictors, such as emotional vulnerability, an invalidating environment, and fantasy proneness, and to compare the strength of relationships among variables in two research groups, people with (1) low and (2) high levels of BPD symptoms. The sample size included 364 people. The Pearson correlation, Mann-Whitney U test, and regression analyses were conducted. MD was positively predicted by invalidation from the mother in people with low BPD symptoms. In the high BPD group, the model was positively predicted by fantasy proneness. Findings offer clinical insights for tailoring MD interventions based on BPD symptom severity.