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. 2025 May 15;25(1):490.
doi: 10.1186/s12888-025-06900-6.

Is adults' borderline personality disorder associated with their attachment experiences, rejection and mental security? A cross-sectional study

Mojdeh Askari  1   2 , Mohammad Ali Zakeri  3   4 , Alaa Hamza Hermis  5 , Xiao Xu  6 , Sri Widowati  7 , Reza Mohammadmehr  8
Affiliations

Is adults' borderline personality disorder associated with their attachment experiences, rejection and mental security? A cross-sectional study

Mojdeh Askari et al. BMC Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Background: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is highly correlated with other mental disorders and poses significant psychological and social risks both to individuals and to society. This study aims to investigate the relationship between attachment, perceived rejection, and psychological security with BPD.

Methods: This cross-sectional correlational study was conducted on 89 BPD patients. The BPD patients was selected using a convenience sampling method. The instruments used in this study included the demographic characteristics form, the Rejection Sensitivity Perception Scale (RSPS), the Revised Adult Attachment Scale (RAAS), the Maslow's Psychological Security scale and the Borderline Personality Inventory (BPI). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22, employing Pearson correlation and regression analysis methods.

Results: The mean scores of BPI were 25.59 ± 5.19. The mean scores for perceived rejection and attachment were 7.71 ± 3.52 and 35.76 ± 6.64, respectively. We found a positive significant correlation between perceived rejection (r = 0.35, p = 0.001), attachment (r = 0.25, p = 0.017) and psychological and social security (r = 0.55, p < 0.001) with BPI. The results of multivariate linear regression indicated that psychological and social security, perceived rejection, and gender predicted 40% of the variance in BPD (R² = 40%) (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: In the present study, attachment, rejection, and sense of security were found to be associated with BPD. To prevent BPD, it is essential to consider factors such as attachment, rejection, and security. Therefore, mental health care providers are advised to plan and implement appropriate interventions to identify and improve these variables, thereby enhancing related health outcomes.

Keywords: Attachment experiences; Borderline personality disorder; Mental security; Personality disorder; Rejection.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This research was conducted under the ethical code number IR.IAU.QOM.REC.1401.058 from Qom University of Medical Sciences. Prior to sampling, written informed consent was obtained from the patients, and the study’s objectives and the confidentiality of the information were explained to them. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Conflicts of interest: None.

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