Number of Borderline Personality Disorder Criteria and Depression Predict Poor Functioning and Quality of Life in Outpatient Youth

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate which factors contribute to poor functioning and poor quality of life in youth (aged 15-25 years) with borderline personality disorder (BPD), and whether the number of BPD criteria might be an independent predictor of these outcomes. A sample of 499 help-seeking outpatient youth, aged 15-25 years, was assessed. Stepwise multiple regression analyses showed that the number of BPD criteria was the best predictor of poor functioning, followed by number of mental health visits in the past month, female sex, and a current diagnosis of depression. Current depression was the best predictor of Assessment of Quality of Life utility score, followed by the number of BPD criteria. These findings underscore the clinical significance of DSM-IV BPD features (even when subthreshold for a categorical diagnosis) in youth and their effects upon social and occupational functioning and quality of life early in the course of BPD.

Keywords: borderline personality disorder; functioning; personality disorder; quality of life; youth.