Citation

Brück C, Derstroff S, Wildgruber D. Front. Psychol. 2018; 9: e4.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Frontiers Research Foundation)

DOI

10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00004

PMID

29410640

PMCID

PMC5787136

Abstract

Building on the assumption of a possible link between biases in social information processing frequently associated with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and the occurrence of gelotophobia (i.e., a fear of being laughed at), the present study aimed at evaluating the prevalence rate of gelotophobia among BPD patients. Using the Geloph<15> , a questionnaire that allows a standardized assessment of the presence and severity of gelotophobia symptoms, rates of gelotophobia were assessed in a group of 30 female BPD patients and compared to data gathered in clinical and non-clinical reference groups.

RESULTS indicate a high prevalence of gelotophobia among BPD patients with 87% of BPD patients meeting the Geloph<15> criterion for being classified as gelotophobic. Compared to other clinical and non-clinical reference groups, the rate of gelotophobia among BPD patients appears to be remarkably high, far exceeding the numbers reported for other groups in the literature to date, with 30% of BPD patients reaching extreme levels, 37% pronounced levels, and 20% slight levels of gelotophobia.

Language: en

Keywords

borderline personality disorder; fear of being laughed at; gelotophobia; laughter; social cognition