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Review
. 2022 Nov;24(11):591-601.
doi: 10.1007/s11920-022-01367-8. Epub 2022 Oct 25.

Parental Mental Illness, Borderline Personality Disorder, and Parenting Behavior: The Moderating Role of Social Support

Fabian R Seeger  1 , Corinne Neukel  1 , Katharina Williams  2 , Marc Wenigmann  1 , Leonie Fleck  2 , Anna K Georg  3 , Felix Bermpohl  4 , Svenja Taubner  3 , Michael Kaess  2   5 , Sabine C Herpertz  6
Affiliations
Review

Parental Mental Illness, Borderline Personality Disorder, and Parenting Behavior: The Moderating Role of Social Support

Fabian R Seeger et al. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2022 Nov.

Abstract

Purpose of review: Parental mental disorders, particularly borderline personality disorder (BPD), impair parenting behavior. Consequently, the children exhibit an elevated risk for psychopathology across their lifespan. Social support for parents is thought to moderate the relationship between parental mental illness and parenting behavior. It may dampen negative effects and serve as starting point for preventive interventions. This paper provides a literature overview regarding the impact of social support on the sequelae of parental mental illness and BPD for parenting behavior.

Recent findings: Current literature highlights the increased burden of families with a mentally ill parent and associated changes in parenting behavior like increased hostility and affective dysregulation, especially in the context of parental BPD. Literature further demonstrates the powerful impact of social support in buffering such negative outcomes. The effect of social support seems to be moderated itself by further factors like socioeconomic status, gender, or characteristics of the social network. Social support facilitates positive parenting in mentally ill parents and may be particularly important in parents with BPD. However, social support is embedded within a framework of influencing factors, which need consideration when interpreting scientific results.

Keywords: Borderline personality disorder; Parental mental illness; Parenting behavior; Parenting interventions; Social support.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Exemplary model on the moderating role of social support on parenting behavior in mentally ill parents. The model illustrates a hypothesized pathway for the intergenerational continuity of mental disorders and potential starting points for the effects of social support
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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