Is Physical Activity Associated With Lower Borderline Personality Disorder Severity, Accounting For Insomnia Disorder?

Kriegera, Valentin, St-Amour, Samuel ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6282-7885, Bernard, Paquito, Parasharf, Niharika, Samsond, Matthieu et Cailhold, Lionel (2026). Is Physical Activity Associated With Lower Borderline Personality Disorder Severity, Accounting For Insomnia Disorder? (Soumis)

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Résumé

Background:
Borderline personality disorder is associated with severe suffering and insomnia. Physical activity has been related to improvements in borderline personality disorder and sleep disorders. However, no study has yet analyzed the relationship between physical activity and borderline personality disorder, accounting for insomnia disorder. This study aimed to fill this gap in the literature.
Method:
This cross-sectional study recruited 192 participants aged 18 years and over reporting a borderline personality disorder. Participants had to fill out an online survey collecting information about their mental health, sleep disorders, and physical activity habits. An analysis of covariance was computed with R.
Results:
The overall model explained a significant amount of variance in borderline personality disorder (R² = .19, p < .001). Being physically active was not significantly associated with lower borderline personality disorder after controlling for insomnia disorder (F(1,189) = 1.18, p = .28). Insomnia disorder was strongly and significantly associated with borderline personality disorder (F(1,189) = 46.15, p < .001).
Conclusion:
The findings suggest that insomnia disorder is a particularly relevant correlate of borderline personality disorder, whereas physical activity appears less central. Clinically, this highlights the importance of assessing sleep-related problems. Future research should examine these associations using experimental and longitudinal designs.

Type de document :	Article
Validation par les pairs :	Non
Mots-clés :	Borderline personality disorder ; Physical activity ; Physical exercise ; Insomnia disorder / Trouble de la personnalité limite ; Activité physique ; Exercice physique ; Troubles de l'insomnie.
Départements et unités départementales :	Département des sciences de la santé
Date de dépôt :	01 oct. 2026 14:48
Dernière modification :	06 oct. 2026 15:14
URI :	https://semaphore.uqar.ca/id/eprint/3669