What strategies do people with borderline personality disorder use to maintain their well-being and performance at work?

Abstract

Background: People with borderline personality disorder (BPD) often experience instability in their career paths. Previous studies have mainly focused on their challenges in work participation. There has been limited attention on their job tenure strategies. This qualitative study aimed to identify job tenure strategies of people with BPD who are currently employed.

Methods: Between November 2021 and March 2024, participants completed an online survey combining questionnaires and qualitative open-ended questions covering eleven themes, such as task management, adherence to workplace rules and self-perception of competence. The sample comprised 103 women, 22 men, and five non-binary persons, with an average age of 35. In addition to BPD, about half of the participants reported co-occurring diagnoses, such as anxiety disorders. For 54% of participants, their current primary job was aligned with their formal training. For 65%, it corresponded to their personal interests, and for 83%, with their competencies.

Results: To maintain well-being and performance at work, participants reported using strategies that involved balancing work and daily life through stable routines and health-supporting lifestyle habits. Key strategies enabling work functioning focused on self-regulation, cultivating positive workplace relationships, as well as task and time management. Organizing a calm work environment that facilitates concentration, using stress reduction and emotional regulation techniques, and seeking support from colleagues and managers were frequent examples.

Conclusions: The findings highlight a variety of self-directed, interpersonal and task-related actions that people with BPD use to maintain job tenure when employed. These personalized strategies can enrich the development of sustainable work reintegration interventions. Future research should examine the empirical effectiveness of these strategies and explore additional job tenure factors, such as work accommodations tailored to the needs of people with BPD.