Childhood antecedents of self-destructiveness in borderline personality disorder

Abstract

Objective: To assess the relationship between lifetime patterns of self-destructive behaviour and various parameters of childhood abuse and neglect in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) compared with other personality disorder (OPD) controls.

Method: The subjects were 42 inpatients with the diagnosis of BPD and 17 OPD controls. Lifetime patterns of self-destructive behaviour were assessed using the Lifetime Borderline Symptom Index. Childhood experiences were assessed using a semistructured interview by raters who were blind to diagnosis.

Results: Chronic self-destructive behaviour discriminated patients with BPD from OPD controls. In the borderline group, parental sexual abuse was significantly related to suicidal behaviour and both parental sexual abuse and emotional neglect were significantly related to self-mutilation.

Conclusion: Both parental sexual abuse and emotional neglect appear to play a role in the etiology of self-destructive behaviour in BPD. The results highlight the importance of considering the effects of sexual abuse within its environmental context and suggest that the etiology of borderline symptoms is likely multifactorial.