the mediating role of borderline personality features in the relationship between self-compassion and rejection sensitivity with interpersonal problems

Introduction: interpersonal problems contribute to psychological distress in the general population. this study aimed to explore the mediating effect of borderline personality traits (bpt) on the relationship between self-compassion and rejection sensitivity with interpersonal problems.method: this cross-sectional study employed a descriptive-correlational design analyzed through path analysis to test mediation effects. the statistical population comprised students from tabriz azad medical sciences university during the second quarter of 2024. a total of 200 individuals were recruited using a convenience sampling method. study measures were the self-compassion scale, the interpersonal problems questionnaire, the rejection sensitivity scale, and the borderline personality disorder scale. data analysis was performed using pearson's correlation coefficient with spss-26 and path analysis with amos-20.results: the findings revealed that interpersonal problems had a significant negative correlation with self-compassion and a positive correlation with rejection sensitivity. additionally, bpt were significantly associated with interpersonal problems. path analysis indicated that rejection sensitivity (p=0.05, β= -0.21) and self-compassion (p = 0.05, β = -0.58) indirectly influenced interpersonal problems through borderline traits. the model demonstrated a good fit with the data.conclusion: the findings show that rejection sensitivity and self-compassion indirectly influence interpersonal problems through bpt. the findings underscore the potential for developing targeted interventions to address interpersonal difficulties.