Borderline personality disorder and sexual abuse: A systematic review

A Longitudinal Prediction of Suicide Attempts in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Machine Learning Study

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is associated with a high risk of suicide. Despite several risk factors being known, identifying vulnerable patients in clinical practice remains a challenge so far. The current study aimed at predicting suicide attempts among BPD patients during disorder-specific psychotherapeutic interventions exploiting machine learning techniques. The study took into account several potential predictors relevant to BPD psychopathology: emotion dysregulation, temperamental and character factors, attachment style, impulsivity, and aggression. The sample included 69 patients with BPD who completed the Temperament and Character Inventory, Attachment Style Questionnaire, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, and Aggression Questionnaire at baseline and after 6 months of psychotherapy. To detect future suicide attempts, baseline questionnaires were entered as predictors into an elastic net penalized regression, whose predictive performance was assessed through nested fivefold cross-validation. At the same time, 5000 iterations of a non-parametric bootstrap were used to determine predictors' robustness. The elastic net model discriminating BPD suicide attempters from non-attempters reached a balanced accuracy of 64.09% and an area under the receiver operating curve of 70.44%. High preoccupation with relationships, harm avoidance, and reward dependence, along with low motor impulsiveness, verbal aggression, cooperativeness, and self-transcendence were the most contributing predictors. Our findings suggest that interpersonal vulnerability and internalizing factors are the strongest predictors of future suicide attempts in BPD. Machine learning on self-report psychological scales may be helpful to identify individuals at suicidal risk, potentially helping clinical settings to develop individualized preventive strategies.

BDSM and masochistic sexual fantasies in women with borderline personality disorder: simply on the spectrum of "normality" or source of suffering?

BACKGROUND

Increasing research has contributed to the destigmatization of sadomasochistic sexual preferences. Nevertheless, persons diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) frequently report self-harmful masochistic sexual practice under the pretext of BDSM, especially those reporting experiences of child sexual abuse (CSA). Empirical research on sexual preferences in the context of BPD is scarce, although related sexual behaviors may matter particularly regarding dysfunctional and self-harming behaviors.

METHODS

Women with BPD (n = 115) and age-matched healthy controls (HC; n = 115) were compared regarding experiences with BDSM and masochistic fantasies, as well as associated arousal and distress. Regression and moderation analyses were conducted on cross-sectional data to examine the associations between sadomasochistic sexuality and BPD symptoms, traumatic experiences, sexual risk behavior, and sexual motivation.

RESULTS

Women with BPD practiced BDSM more often (last year: 34% vs. 15%; lifetime: 51% vs. 23%) which was associated with more autonomous, self-determined forms of sexual motivation but at the same time associated with higher BPD symptoms and risky sexuality. While a similar number of women in both groups endorsed arousal through masochistic sexual fantasies (77% vs. 74%), significantly more of those women with BPD reported associated marked distress (53% vs. 21%). Distress from masochistic fantasies was associated with less autonomous sexual motivation, in which sexuality is used in order to regulate emotions and self-esteem, and was predicted by the interaction of the severity of childhood sexual abuse and this regulation tendency.

CONCLUSION

Sadomasochistic sexuality and corresponding fantasies in women can be an autonomous, self-determined form of sexuality. However, in women with BPD they tend to be associated with BPD symptoms, risky sexuality, problems with self-regulation and traumatization and are thus associated with marked distress. Our findings highlight the importance of considering sexual preferences in clinical context and the need for specific treatment for this subgroup suffering from their preference or acting them out in a dysfunctional or self-harming way.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This analysis is part of a larger ongoing study and was retrospectively registered (Registration trial DRKS00029716).

Establishing the relationship between history of childhood trauma and personality disorder using the ICD-11 classification system

The temporal relationship between childhood trauma and personality status using the ICD-11 classification was examined in 75 adults (65%F) aged between 19 and 72 selected by constrained procedure to ensure the full range of personality disturbance. Trauma history was assessed using the Childhood Traumatic Events Scale, past and recent versions and personality status using scales to assess the severity and domains of the ICD-11 system, PDS-ICD-11 and PAQ-11. The PDS-ICD-11 findings showed 52 (59.3%) had some personality disturbance with 17 (22.7%) having moderate or severe personality disorder. There was a significant association between childhood sexual trauma and ICD-11 personality severity (p = 0.005) and a lessened association with recent trauma (p = 0.02). Apart from the borderline composite score, the PAQ-11 negative affectivity domain was significantly associated with childhood sexual trauma (p = 0.003), but other domains were not linked. The Anankastia domain was significantly associated with early major physical illness (p = 0.012), and physical illness both in early life (p = 0.005) and recent exposure (p = 0.024) were associated with personality disorder. Other forms of childhood abuse and illness or injury in childhood did not differ with regard to later personality disorder. The results confirm a significant but not overwhelming relationship between childhood sexual trauma and severity of ICD-11 personality disturbance in adult life that is greater than for other classes of trauma.

A short screen for lifetime sexual victimization experiences: Expanding research on the Sexual Abuse History Questionnaire (SAHQ) across cultures, genders, and sexual identities

The Sexual Abuse History Questionnaire (SAHQ), a widely used screening tool for childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and adolescent/adult sexual assault (AASA) experiences, has limited examination of its psychometric properties in diverse populations. Our study assessed the SAHQ's psychometric properties (i.e., structural validity and measurement invariance across demographic groups, know-group validity, and internal consistency) and estimated the frequencies of various types of sexual victimization across 42 countries and in diverse gender-, trans-status-, and sexual-identity-based groups that were previously missing from measurement-focused studies. We used a large, non-representative sample (N = 81,465; 57 % women, 3.4 % gender-diverse individuals, Mage =32.34 years, SD=12.48) from the International Sex Survey, a 42-country cross-sectional, multi-language, online survey. The SAHQ demonstrated excellent structural validity in all country-, gender-, sexual-identity-, and trans-status-based groups, as well as acceptable reliability and known-group validity. Occurrence estimates for six CSA and AASA types were reported across sociodemographic groups, corroborating previous evidence that women and gender- and sexual-minority individuals are at greater risk of CSA and AASA. Pansexual and queer individuals emerged as a particularly vulnerable group. Associations between different types of CSA and AASA revealed that participants who experienced any form of CSA were at least twice as likely to experience AASA. The findings have significant implications for policy and interventions, especially for marginalized groups.

DNA Methylation of PXDN Is Associated with Early-Life Adversity in Adult Mental Disorders

Early-life adversity (ELA) is characterized by exposure to traumatic events during early periods of life, particularly involving emotional, sexual and/or physical adversities during childhood. Mental disorders are strongly influenced by environmental and lifestyle-related risk factors including ELA. However, the molecular link between ELA and the risk of an adult mental disorder is still not fully understood. Evidence is emerging that long-lasting changes in the epigenetic processes regulating gene expression, such as DNA methylation, play an important role in the biological mechanisms linking ELA and mental disorders. Based on a recent study, we analyzed the DNA methylation of a specific CpG site within the gene PXDN-cg10888111-in blood in the context of ELA across a set of psychiatric disorders, namely Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), and its potential contribution to their pathogenesis. We found significant hypermethylation in mentally ill patients with high levels of ELA compared to patients with low levels of ELA, whereas cg10888111 methylation in healthy control individuals was not affected by ELA. Further investigations revealed that this effect was driven by the MDD cohort. Providing a direct comparison of cg10888111 DNA methylation in blood in the context of ELA across three mental disorders, our results indicate the role of PXDN regulation in the response to ELA in the pathogenesis of mental disorders, especially MDD. Further studies will be needed to validate these results and decipher the corresponding biological network that is involved in the transmission of ELA to an adult mental disorder in general.

Trauma-related symptoms in adolescents: the differential roles of sexual abuse and mentalizing

Introduction

Major gaps remain in our knowledge regarding childhood sexual abuse (CSA) related symptoms in adolescent psychiatric inpatients, as well as potential resilience factors like mentalizing. CSA is a risk factor for the early emergence of borderline personality features, posttraumatic stress, and sexual concerns. Mentalizing, which involves the capacity to understand our reactions and that of others in psychological terms, is a resilience factor for self and interpersonal functioning. The aim of this study was to address knowledge gaps by examining the contributions of CSA and mentalizing in a latent factor composed of borderline personality features, posttraumatic stress, and sexual concerns in a sample of adolescent psychiatric inpatients. We hypothesized that CSA and mentalizing would independently explain the variance in this latent factor.

Method

Participants were 273 adolescents aged 12-17 recruited from an adolescent inpatient psychiatric clinic. They completed the Reflective Function Questionnaire for Youth (RFQ-Y), the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC), and the Borderline Personality Features Scale for Children (BPFS-C). CSA was assessed using the Child Attachment Interview (CAI), the Computerized Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (C-DISC), as well as the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ).

Results

27.5% of adolescent psychiatric inpatients reported CSA. CSA and mentalizing were independently associated with a latent factor consisting of posttraumatic stress, borderline personality features, and sexual concerns. CSA explained 5.0% and RF explained 16.7% of the variance of the latent factor. When we consider both the unique and the shared contribution of CSA and mentalizing, the model explained 23.0% of the variance of this factor.

Discussion

CSA and mentalizing independently explained variance in a latent factor constituted of borderline personality features, posttraumatic stress, and sexual concerns. The direct effect of mentalizing was stronger and mentalizing explained comparatively more variance of trauma-related symptoms in adolescent psychiatric inpatients. The findings are consistent with the theory that mentalizing is an internal resilience factor in adolescent psychiatric inpatients. By implication, clinical interventions focused on promoting the development of mentalizing, such as Mentalization Based Treatment, may palliate mental health difficulties manifested by adolescent psychiatric inpatients including those associated with CSA.

Complex Trauma and Mentalizing Ability in College Students With or Without Borderline Personality Disorder: A Mixed Method Approach

Background

Exposure to complex trauma in early childhood can undermine the development of mentalization capacity. Complex trauma has also been causally linked to borderline personality disorder (BPD). The inclusion of complex post-traumatic stress disorder in ICD-11 has made it imperative to have an in-depth understanding of complex trauma.

Methods

This study used an explanatory sequential mixed method approach to assess the complex trauma and mentalizing ability in college students with BPD (N = 62) in comparison to non-BPD students (N = 60) and to explore the subjective experiences of complex trauma in students with BPD (n = 10). Participants in both groups were assessed on the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test to assess complex trauma and mentalizing ability, respectively. Qualitative data were collected through focused interviews using a phenomenological approach.

Results

Those with BPD had significantly higher rates of six types of complex trauma as compared to those without BPD; additionally, participants who had experienced sexual abuse performed better on mentalizing tasks than those who had not. The focused interviews revealed several themes, including "perpetrator," "impact," "symptoms," and "strengths," which indicated intergenerational trauma and hope for post-traumatic growth.

Conclusion

Although participants with BPD experienced higher complex trauma, they also had better mentalizing capacities.

The impact of childhood trauma on borderline personality organization in a community sample of Greek emerging adults

There is limited research on the role of childhood trauma in personality pathology according to Kernberg's psychodynamic model of internalized object relations. Because childhood trauma reflects the disruptions of these relations, it is expected to predict borderline personality organization, especially at the threshold of adulthood. Therefore, the main aim of this retrospective study was to examine the impact of childhood trauma on borderline personality organization in a community sample of emerging adults. Participants were 543 Greek individuals aged 18-29 (M = 21.45; 58.6 % females; 85.1 % university students). They completed the Greek versions of the Traumatic Antecedents Questionnaire (TAQ) and the Inventory of Personality Organization (IPO), which were tested for their factorial structure, reliability, and measurement invariance across gender, as few empirical data exist on the psychometric properties of these measures. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the TAQ consisted of four factors, namely positive experiences, abuse, traumatic life events, and family chaos. The five-factor theoretical structure of the IPO, namely primitive defenses, identity diffusion, reality testing, aggression, and moral values, was confirmed. Low to moderate links between childhood trauma and borderline personality organization were found, with stronger links emerging for abuse and family chaos. Structural equation modeling showed that the various forms of childhood trauma across the age periods studied (i.e., 0-6, 7-12, 13-18) significantly and differentially predicted the dimensions of borderline personality organization. The finding that stronger links emerged when trauma occurred in older ages may be attributed to the retrospective method of the study. Gender differences were also found; for example, personality pathology was more likely in men when abuse and traumatic life events occurred in younger ages and abuse was a more important risk factor for personality pathology in women. This study highlights the impact of childhood adversity on personality pathology in emerging adulthood, provides empirical support for Kernberg's psychodynamic model, and has useful implications for trauma-informed early screening, prevention, and intervention regarding personality pathology in young people. Limitations of this study and suggestions for future research are outlined.

Borderline personality disorder and sexuality: causes and consequences of dissociative symptoms

BACKGROUND

Sexual risk behavior in patients diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) is supposed to be associated with traumatic experiences and dissociative symptoms. Nevertheless, scientific research thereon is scarce which might be due to the high prevalence of sexual trauma and fear of overwhelming patients with explicit sexual content.

METHODS

We investigated a clinical sample of patients diagnosed with BPD (n = 114) and compared them to a sample of matched healthy controls (HC) (n = 114) concerning the dissociative symptoms derealization, depersonalization, and conversion in sexual situations. In a subgroup of patients with BPD (n = 41) and matched HC (n = 40) dissociative symptoms after exposure to an acoustically presented erotic narrative were assessed in the lab. Regression analyses were used to examine the associations between sexual trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), dissociation in sexual situations, and risky sexual behavior.

RESULTS

Patients diagnosed with BPD endorsed higher dissociative symptoms in sexual situations retrospectively and in the lab compared to HC. Regression analyses revealed that depersonalization and conversion symptoms in sexual situations were explained by severity of BPD, while derealization was explained by PTSD symptomatology. Impulsive and sexual behavior with an uncommitted partner were higher in the BPD group and explained by derealization, while conversion showed an inverse association.

CONCLUSION

Our findings highlight the importance of addressing distinct dissociative symptoms in sexual situations when counselling and treating women with BPD. In the long term, this could contribute to a reduction in sexual risk behavior in patients with BPD.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This analysis is part of a larger ongoing study and was registered prior to accessing the data (Registration trial DRKS00029716).

Psychotic-like experiences and multimorbid psychopathology: The relationship between the 16-item prodromal questionnaire and DSM-IV classifications in a help-seeking population

AIM

Identifying multimorbid psychopathology is necessary to offer more adequate treatment and ultimately reduce the prevalence of persistent mental illnesses. Psychotic symptoms are increasingly seen as a transdiagnostic indicator of multimorbidity, severity and complexity of non-psychotic psychopathology. This study aims to investigate whether psychotic-like experiences and subclinical psychotic symptoms as measured by the 16-item Prodromal Questionnaire are also associated with multimorbid psychopathology.

METHODS

Participants were help-seeking individuals from outpatient mental healthcare settings and intensive home-treatment teams, aged 17-35. Assessment included the 16-item Prodromal Questionnaire to measure psychotic-like experiences, the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I, and three sections of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Disorders to determine DSM-IV-TR classifications. The final sample comprised of 160 participants who scored above a cutoff of 6 items on the 16-item Prodromal Questionnaire (HIGH-score) and 60 participants who scored below cutoff (LOW-score). A Poisson Regression was executed to determine the association between the PQ-16 and DSM-IV-TR classifications.

RESULTS

The HIGH-score group had a mean of 2.76 multimorbid disorders (range 0-7), while the LOW-score group had a mean of 1.45 disorders (range 0-3). Participants with four to seven disorders scored high on the 16-item Prodromal Questionnaire.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that psychotic-like experiences are associated with multimorbidity and severity of psychopathology. Screening for psychotic-like experiences via the PQ-16 in a help-seeking population may help prevent under-diagnosis and under-treatment of comorbid psychopathology.

Adverse Childhood Experiences Are Associated With Personality Disorder: A Prospective, Longitudinal Study

There is a lack of studies that have prospectively examined adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in association with a personality disorder (PD). Data from a sample of 8,199 adolescents first assessed for ACEs were linked with subsequent data from the Norwegian Patient Register in order to obtain diagnoses of a PD in adulthood (after a 14-year follow-up). We used logistic regression analysis. Any type of ACE gave a 3.8-fold higher risk of developing a PD. Abuse, more specifically emotional abuse, came out as one of the strongest predictors. Of the adolescents who developed a PD, approximately 90% had a history of ACE. The results of this study support the importance of assessing ACEs, such as abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction, in the diagnostic procedure and treatment for PD.

Suicidal behaviors and adverse childhood experiences: A cross-diagnostic study in persistent depressive disorder and borderline personality disorder

Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) constitute a known risk factor for suicidality. There is a research gap regarding differential patterns of associations between variants of suicidal ideations and behaviors (SIB) and characteristics of ACE in severe mental disorders. This cross-diagnostic study investigates whether SIB are related to ACE subtypes in two high-risk conditions, i.e., persistent depressive disorder (PDD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD). Inpatients with PDD (n = 117; age 40.2 years ± 12.3) and BPD (n = 74; age 26.2 ± 7.9) were assessed with the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale for suicidal ideations (SI), suicidal behaviors (SB) and actual suicide attempts (SA); ACE were recorded with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. In PDD, SI and SA were associated with childhood physical abuse (ORs 7.2 and 2.3, respectively). In BPD, SA were associated with severe experiences of physical abuse (OR 6.5). Weaker yet significant associations were found for childhood emotional abuse in PDD with SB (including SA), and in BPD with SA. Recall of childhood physical abuse may be clinically relevant information for identifying particular risks of SIB. Future studies should investigate these differential patterns in more depth and in terms of causality.

Distinguishing between ICD-11 complex post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder: clinical guide and recommendations for future research

Although complex post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder are distinct disorders, there is confusion in clinical practice regarding the similarities between the diagnostic profiles of these conditions. We summarise the differences in the diagnostic criteria that are clinically informative and we illustrate these with case studies to enable diagnostic accuracy in clinical practice.

Clinical Neuropsychological Profile and Quality of Life in Women Who Have Suffered Gender-Based Violence

Background

This research characterizes the clinical and neuropsychological profiles and the quality of life in a group of Ecuadorian women who suffered physical violence, psychological violence, or sexual violence, exploring their relationships with sociodemographic factors.

Methods

A battery of tests were used to explore the clinical and neuropsychological functions and quality of life in 120 participants who were selected from a population affected by violence.

Results

Sixty percent of the participants showed clinical anxiety, 26.7% clinical depression, 40% post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, 15% moderate personality disorder, and 51.7% a low quality-of-life index. Their Z-scores in the neuropsychological domains evaluated were verbal memory (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test = -1.35), working memory (Digits = -1.67), attention (D2 = -1.24), processing speed (Coding = -1.33; Trail Making Test A = 1.81), and executive function (Trail Making Test B = -1.15; Stroop = -0.20; verbal-semantic fluency test = 0.05; verbal fluency test = -1.23).

Conclusions

The majority of women who suffered gender-based violence presented clinical levels of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic symptoms. The cognitive functions with lower scores (Z < -1.5) were working memory and processing speed, mediated by education factor.

Sexual Dysfunctions and Problematic Sexuality in Personality Disorders and Pathological Personality Traits: A Systematic Review

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This aim of the present systematic literature review is to critically analyze problematic sexuality and sexual dysfunctions in personality disorders (PDs) and pathological personality traits.

RECENT FINDINGS

An initial pool of 123 studies was found, out of which 17 met the selection criteria and were therefore included. Traumatic experiences as childhood sexual abuse and adverse childhood experiences characterize the relationship between sexual behavior and PDs. From this point of view, sexual compulsivity and sexual risk behaviors, typical of BPD and ASPD, respectively, are among the pathognomonic aspects of PDs and of pathological personality traits. A maladaptive personality functioning may manifest through a problematic sexuality and a sexual impairment. In this regard, traumatic life experiences may structure personality together with sexual functioning. Therefore, it would be useful to consider the relationship between trauma, sexuality, and personality in research and in the clinical setting.

Accelerated epigenetic aging in women with emotionally unstable personality disorder and a history of suicide attempts

Emotional unstable personality disorder (EUPD; previously borderline personality disorder, BPD) is associated with excess natural-cause mortality, comorbid medical conditions, poor health habits and stress related epigenomic alterations. Previous studies demonstrated that GrimAge - a state-of-the-art epigenetic age (EA) estimator - strongly predicts mortality risk and physiological dysregulation. Herein, we utilize the GrimAge algorithm to investigate whether women with EUPD and a history of recent suicide attempts exhibit EA acceleration (EAA) in comparison to healthy controls. Genome-wide methylation patterns were measured using the Illumina Infinum Methylation Epic BeadChip in whole blood from 97 EUPD patients and 32 healthy controls. The control group was significantly older (p < 0.0001) and reported lesser exposure to violent behavior in both youth and adulthood (p < 0.0001). Groups were otherwise comparable regarding gender, BMI, or tobacco usage (p > 0.05). EA estimator DNAmGrimAge exceeded chronological age by 8.8 and 2.3 years in the EUPD and control group, respectively. Similarly, EAA marker AgeAccelGrim was substantially higher in EUPD subjects when compared to controls, in both univariate and multivariate analyzes (p < 0.00001). Tobacco usage conferred substantial within-group effects on the EA-chronological age difference, i.e., 10.74 years (SD = 4.19) compared to 6.00 years (SD = 3.10) in the non-user EUPD group (p < 0.00001). Notably, past alcohol and substance abuse, use of psychotropic medications, global assessment of functioning, self-reported exposure to violent behavior in youth and adulthood, later completed suicide (N = 8) and age at first suicide attempt did not predict EAA in the EUPD group (p > 0.05). These results underscore the importance of addressing medical health conditions along with low-cost preventative interventions aimed at improving somatic health outcomes in EUPD, such as efforts to support cessation of tobacco use. The independency of GrimAge to other EA algorithms in this group of severely impaired EUPD patients, suggest it may have unique characteristics to evaluate risk of adverse health outcomes in context of psychiatric disorders.

Altered brain activity and childhood trauma in Chinese adolescents with borderline personality disorder

BACKGROUND

Childhood trauma may cause borderline personality disorder (BPD). The aim of this study was to assess functional alteration and its association with childhood trauma in Chinese adolescents with BPD.

METHODS

A total of 187 adolescents with BPD aged 12-17 years and 207 age and gender- matched healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled into this study. The sample consisted of 50 adolescents with BPD and 21 HCs underwent brain resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). The rs-fMRI data was analyzed for both neural activity as indicated by amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and seed-based functional connectivity (FC). Clinical assessment for childhood trauma, impulsivity, and depression was also performed. Correlative analysis of functional alterations with childhood trauma assessment were performed.

RESULTS

Adolescents with BPD had significantly higher rate of all assessed childhood trauma than the HC group (P < 0.001). Most adolescents with BPD (61.5 %) had emotional neglect, which was the most commonly seen type of childhood trauma. Compared with HCs, adolescents with BPD showed decreased ALFF in the cortical regions including the left superior frontal gyrus and right middle occipital gyrus, and default mode network (DMN) regions including the left angular gyrus and medial superior frontal gyrus. Adolescents with BPD also showed enhanced ALFF in the limbic system (left hippocampus, insula, thalamus) (P < 0.05, FWE correction, cluster size ≥100). There were significant correlations between the insula ALFF and childhood trauma assessment for emotional neglect, physical abuse and physical neglect (P < 0.01). Moreover, adolescents with BPD showed increased FC between the left insula and right cortical regions (voxel P < 0.001, cluster P < 0.05, FWE correction).

LIMITATIONS

The sample size was small. This cohort had patients with more severe BPD symptoms and some had comorbidities such as anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

CONCLUSIONS

There were alterations of brain activity as indicated by ALFF in the limbic - cortical circuit and DMN regions in adolescents with BPD and the activity in the left insula was correlated with emotional neglect. In addition, the FC between the left insula and the limbic - prefrontal circuit was enhanced. These results implicate that the functional alterations of insula may serve as a potential neuroimaging biomarker for adolescents with BPD who suffered from childhood trauma.

The impact of traumatic childhood experiences on interoception: disregarding one's own body

BACKGROUND

Deficient interoception, the processing and perception of internal bodily signals, has been discussed as a mechanism underlying various mental disorders. First results indicate a mediating role of interoception in the interplay of traumatic childhood experiences and adult mental disorders. Traumatic childhood experiences may hinder the adequate processing, integration, and trust in bodily signals that are important in order to understand and regulate own needs and emotions, thereby increasing the vulnerability for mental disorders. However, an overarching study investigating alterations in different interoceptive measures and trauma-related disorders as well as their mediating role between early trauma and emotion dysregulation is still missing.

METHODS

One hundred thirty-six individuals with varying levels of traumatic childhood experiences who either had a current diagnosis of major depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, or somatic symptom disorder, or no mental disorder, took part in a multidimensional assessment of interoceptive processes, including interoceptive accuracy, sensibility, and awareness. Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare groups regarding interoceptive processes and associations with traumatic childhood experiences and emotion dysregulation were analyzed with Spearman correlations. Furthermore, mediation analyses were computed to examine and compare interoceptive processes as potential mediators between traumatic childhood experiences and emotion dysregulation.

RESULTS

Only body dissociation, a measure for interoceptive sensibility, was significantly reduced in individuals with a current mental disorder. Body dissociation was also the only interoceptive measure significantly associated with traumatic childhood experiences and emotion dysregulation and the only significant mediator in the relationship between traumatic childhood experiences and emotion dysregulation across groups.

CONCLUSION

Results suggest body dissociation, but not other interoceptive measures, as an important feature linking traumatic childhood experiences to current emotion dysregulation, an important transdiagnostic feature. As body dissociation refers to a habitual non-attendance or disregard of interoceptive signals, integrative therapeutic interventions could help affected individuals to overcome difficulties in emotion perception and regulation.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The general study design was preregistered; see the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS-ID: DRKS00015182). This study's analysis plan was not preregistered.

Prädiktion von Behandlungsabbrüchen bei Adoleszenten mit Borderline-Persönlichkeitsstörung

Zusammenfassung: Theoretischer Hintergrund: Die Borderline-Persönlichkeitsstöurng (BPS) kann bereits in der Adoleszenz zuverlässig diagnostiziert und wirksam behandelt werden. Eine möglichst frühe Behandlung der BPS durch störungsspezifische Therapien (z. B. Dialektisch-Behaviorale Therapie), erscheint ist sinnvoll, weil hierdurch selbstschädigende Verhaltensweisen und chronische Verläufe mit häufigen suizidalen Krisen verhindert und die langfristige psychosoziale Entwicklung verbessert werden kann. Mehrere Therapiestudien zur Wirksamkeit der Behandlung in der Adoleszenz zeigten sehr hohe Abbruchraten (bis zu 75 %), bisher sind allerdings nur wenig konsistente Ergebnisse zur Prädiktion von Therapieabbrüchen vorhanden. Fragestellung: Das Hauptziel der vorliegenden Studie war daher im Rahmen einer Beobachtungsstudie a) die Abbruchrate in der Realversorgung und b) die möglichen Prädiktoren (klinische und demographische Variablen) des Abbruchs einer stationären Behandlung mit DBT für Adoleszente an N = 172 Patient_innen im Alter von 15 – 18 Jahren zu untersuchen. Methode: In einer logistischen Regression wurden 18 Prädiktoren (u. a. Alter, Anzahl der Diagnosen, Schwere der Symptomatik) in SPSS untersucht, die im Rahmen einer drei monatigen stationären Behandlung in der Routineversorgung erhoben wurden. Ergebnisse: Lediglich ein jüngeres Alter der Patient_innen war statistisch signifikant mit einem erhöhten Risiko für einen Therapieabbruch assoziiert. Keine statistisch bedeutsamen Zusammenhänge mit einem Therapieabbruch fanden sich hingegen für die untersuchten psychiatrischen Komorbiditäten (bspw. für das Vorliegen einer Essstörung), für die Schwere der BPS-spezifischen Psychopathologie und für BPS-typische problematische Verhaltensweisen (bspw. selbstschädigendes Verhalten oder Hochrisikoverhalten). Diskussion und Schlussfolgerung: Unsere Untersuchung ergibt keinen Anhalt dafür, dass bei stark ausgeprägter Symptombelastung eine erhöhte Gefahr für einen Abbruch einer Behandlung mit DBT besteht. Sollte das Ergebnis einer erhöhten Abbruchrate bei jüngeren Jugendlichen in weiteren Studien repliziert werden, wären systematische Untersuchungen zu Variablen notwendig, die bei jüngeren Jugendlichen eine besondere Bedeutung besitzen und mit einem Therapieabbruch in Zusammenhang stehen könnten (bspw. die Beziehung zu wichtigen Bezugspersonen). Hieraus ließen sich ggf. gezielte Therapiemodifikationen ableiten, die Therapieabbrüchen entgegenwirken.

Chronic Pain and Psychiatric Conditions

Introduction

Chronic pain is a common condition with high socioeconomic and public health burden. A wide range of psychiatric conditions are often comorbid with chronic pain and chronic pain conditions, negatively impacting successful treatment of either condition. The psychiatric condition receiving most attention in the past with regard to chronic pain comorbidity has been major depressive disorder, despite the fact that many other psychiatric conditions also demonstrate epidemiological and genetic overlap with chronic pain. Further understanding potential mechanisms involved in psychiatric and chronic pain comorbidity could lead to new treatment strategies both for each type of disorder in isolation and in scenarios of comorbidity.

Methods

This article provides an overview of relationships between DSM-5 psychiatric diagnoses and chronic pain, with particular focus on PTSD, ADHD, and BPD, disorders which are less commonly studied in conjunction with chronic pain. We also discuss potential mechanisms that may drive comorbidity, and present new findings on the genetic overlap of chronic pain and ADHD, and chronic pain and BPD using linkage disequilibrium score regression analyses.

Results

Almost all psychiatric conditions listed in the DSM-5 are associated with increased rates of chronic pain. ADHD and BPD are significantly genetically correlated with chronic pain. Psychiatric conditions aside from major depression are often under-researched with respect to their relationship with chronic pain.

Conclusion

Further understanding relationships between psychiatric conditions other than major depression (such as ADHD, BPD, and PTSD as exemplified here) and chronic pain can positively impact understanding of these disorders, and treatment of both psychiatric conditions and chronic pain.

On the interplay of borderline personality features, childhood trauma severity, attachment types, and social support

BACKGROUND

Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) have consistently been associated with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Still, it is not yet entirely understood if and how different types of ACE (emotional, physical, sexual abuse, neglect) relate to different BPD subdomains (affective instability, identity disturbance, negative relationships, self-harm). Insecure attachment and lower perceived social support are associated with both ACE and BPD and may therefore contribute to their relationship. No study so far integrated all these variables in one model, while accounting for their mutual influence on each other. We investigated the interplay of BPD subdomains, ACE, attachment, and perceived social support using a graph-theoretical approach.

METHODS

An international sample of 1692 participants completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), the Borderline Feature Scale from the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI-BOR), the Adult Attachment Scale (AAS), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) via an online survey. We estimated a partial correlation network including subscales of the CTQ and the PAI-BOR as nodes. We extended the network by including subscales of the AAS and MSPSS as additional nodes.

RESULTS

Emotional abuse was the most central node in both networks and a bridge between other types of ACE and BPD features. All domains of BPD except affective instability were associated with emotional abuse. Identity disturbances was the most central node in the BPD network. The association between ACE and BPD features was partly but not fully explained by attachment and social support.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that emotional abuse is an important link in the association between ACE and BPD features, also when taking attachment and social support into account. Findings further suggest an outstanding role of identity disturbance, linking emotional abuse to affective instability and being strongly associated with attachment anxiety.

Examining the Construct Validity of Borderline Personality Traits Using Familial Aggregation and Other External Validators

Numerous studies have questioned the reliability and validity of borderline personality disorder's (BPD) categorical conceptualization. DSM-5 Section III's alternative trait-based model of BPD may better capture borderline pathology, but aspects of its validity should be further established. Thus, the authors examined whether a latent BPD factor derived from Section III traits exhibits (1) familial aggregation among siblings and (2) association with constructs related to borderline pathology. The authors also tested whether gender moderated associations. A total of 498 community-recruited adults completed the Personality Inventory for DSM-5, a behavioral assessment of risk-taking, and reported their history of childhood maltreatment, substance use, nonsuicidal self-injury, and suicidal ideation. Familial aggregation was assessed among 232 sibling pairs. Siblings' BPD scores were significantly correlated and most external validators were significantly associated with BPD, with the exception of risk-taking. Results did not vary by gender. Findings further support the construct validity of Section III's BPD trait profile.

Flexibility of neural circuits regulating mating behaviors in mice and flies

Mating is essential for the reproduction of animal species. As mating behaviors are high-risk and energy-consuming processes, it is critical for animals to make adaptive mating decisions. This includes not only finding a suitable mate, but also adapting mating behaviors to the animal's needs and environmental conditions. Internal needs include physical states (e.g., hunger) and emotional states (e.g., fear), while external conditions include both social cues (e.g., the existence of predators or rivals) and non-social factors (e.g., food availability). With recent advances in behavioral neuroscience, we are now beginning to understand the neural basis of mating behaviors, particularly in genetic model organisms such as mice and flies. However, how internal and external factors are integrated by the nervous system to enable adaptive mating-related decision-making in a state- and context-dependent manner is less well understood. In this article, we review recent knowledge regarding the neural basis of flexible mating behaviors from studies of flies and mice. By contrasting the knowledge derived from these two evolutionarily distant model organisms, we discuss potential conserved and divergent neural mechanisms involved in the control of flexible mating behaviors in invertebrate and vertebrate brains.

Psychopathology among anabolic-androgenic steroid using and non-using female athletes in Norway

Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) are primarily used to improve physical appearance and increase lean muscle mass. Due to their masculinizing properties, the majority of people using AAS are men; however, AAS use among females may increase with changing body ideals trending towards a more muscular appearance. AAS use among males have been associated with risk-taking behavior, and increased prevalence of personality disorders and psychopathology. As a result of low perceived prevalence and stigma among females who use AAS, the relationship between AAS use and psychopathology in this population is not well-known. AAS using women (n = 16) and weight-lifting controls (WLC) (n = 16) completed questionnaires regarding AAS use, health and training information. Psychopathology was evaluated using the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III). Group differences on demographic variables and scores on MCMI-III scales were evaluated with Mann-Whitney U tests. The clinical cut-off was then applied to all MCMI-III scales and groups were compared using Fisher's exact test. AAS consumers demonstrated significantly greater psychopathology than WLC on several scales. Externalizing personality disorder scales were elevated among those who use AAS relative to controls, such as borderline (p < 0.001), antisocial (p = 0.007) and sadistic (p = 0.002), and in addition depressive (p = 0.012), negativistic (p = 0.001) and masochistic (p = 0.029) personality disorders scales. Furthermore, all clinical syndromes were elevated among AAS consumers. AAS consumers thus demonstrated multi-pathology, and 56% (n = 9) of the group met the clinical criteria for six or more disorders. Females who use AAS experience in general increased levels of psychopathology compared to WLC. Clinicians should be aware of these traits and the challenges they present in providing care to this population.

Borderline Personality Pathology in Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar I and II Disorder, and Its Relationship With Childhood Trauma

OBJECTIVE

Mood disorder and borderline personality pathology (BPP) are frequently comorbid and relate to childhood trauma. We investigated the relationship between childhood trauma and BPP features in mood disorder patients versus controls.

METHODS

A total of 488 mood disorder patients, particularly major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar I disorder (BD I), and bipolar II disorder (BD II), and 734 controls were included. We examined between-group BPP-related differences and correlated between BPP and childhood trauma using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ) and the Personality Assessment Inventory-Borderline Features Scale.

RESULTS

BD II patients showed significantly higher BPP. Emotional abuse and neglect were prominently associated with BPP, while affective instability and negative relationships exhibited a stronger association with childhood trauma. We also found a positive relationship between childhood trauma and BPP in MDD, BD I, and BD II patients.

CONCLUSION

The findings of the present study imply that BPP features are more likely to be found in patients with BD II than BD I or MDD. Mood disorder patients with severe childhood trauma may have higher BPP features. Thus, further study of the relationship between childhood trauma and BPP features could improve the therapeutic approaches and help understand patients with mood disorders.

Psychological trauma as a transdiagnostic risk factor for mental disorder: an umbrella meta-analysis

This umbrella review is the first to systematically examine psychological trauma as a transdiagnostic risk factor across psychiatric conditions. We searched Pubmed, Scopus, and PsycNET databases from inception until 01/05/2021 for systematic reviews/meta-analyses evaluating the association between psychological trauma and at least one diagnosed mental disorder. We re-calculated the odds ratio (OR), then classified the association as convincing, highly suggestive, suggestive, or weak, based on the number of cases and controls with and without psychological trauma, random-effects p value, the 95% confidence interval of the largest study, heterogeneity between studies, 95% prediction interval, small-study effect, and excess significance bias. Additional outcomes were the association between specific trauma types and specific mental disorders, and a sensitivity analysis for childhood trauma. Transdiagnosticity was assessed using TRANSD criteria. The review was pre-registered in Prospero CRD42020157308 and followed PRISMA/MOOSE guidelines. Fourteen reviews met inclusion criteria, comprising 16,277 cases and 77,586 controls. Psychological trauma met TRANSD criteria as a transdiagnostic factor across different diagnostic criteria and spectra. There was highly suggestive evidence of an association between psychological trauma at any time-point and any mental disorder (OR = 2.92) and between childhood trauma and any mental disorder (OR = 2.90). Regarding specific trauma types, convincing evidence linked physical abuse (OR = 2.36) and highly suggestive evidence linked sexual abuse (OR = 3.47) with a range of mental disorders, and convincing evidence linked emotional abuse to anxiety disorders (OR = 3.05); there were no data for emotional abuse with other disorders. These findings highlight the importance of preventing early traumatic events and providing trauma-informed care in early intervention and psychiatric services.

How childhood maltreatment alters perception and cognition - the predictive processing account of borderline personality disorder

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe mental disorder, comprised of heterogeneous psychological and neurobiological pathologies. Here, we propose a predictive processing (PP) account of BPD to integrate these seemingly unrelated pathologies. In particular, we argue that the experience of childhood maltreatment, which is highly prevalent in BPD, leaves a developmental legacy with two facets: first, a coarse-grained, alexithymic model of self and others - leading to a rigidity and inflexibility concerning beliefs about self and others. Second, this developmental legacy leads to a loss of confidence or precision afforded beliefs about the consequences of social behavior. This results in an over reliance on sensory evidence and social feedback, with concomitant lability, impulsivity and hypersensitivity. In terms of PP, people with BPD show a distorted belief updating in response to new information with two opposing manifestations: rapid changes in beliefs and a lack of belief updating despite disconfirmatory evidence. This account of distorted information processing has the potential to explain both the instability (of affect, self-image, and interpersonal relationships) and the rigidity (of beliefs about self and others) which is typical of BPD. At the neurobiological level, we propose that enhanced levels of dopamine are associated with the increased integration of negative social feedback, and we also discuss the hypothesis of an impaired inhibitory control of the prefrontal cortex in the processing of negative social information. Our account may provide a new understanding not only of the clinical aspects of BPD, but also a unifying theory of the corresponding neurobiological pathologies. We conclude by outlining some directions for future research on the behavioral, neurobiological, and computational underpinnings of this model, and point to some clinical implications of it.

Childhood maltreatment and self-hatred as distinguishing characteristics of psychiatric patients with self-harm: A comparison with clinical and healthy controls

INTRODUCTION

Deliberate self-harm (DSH) is common in clinical populations. Childhood maltreatment (CM) and attitudes both towards oneself and towards DSH may be of importance for the development of DSH. This study aimed to test whether patients with DSH report more CM, more negative attitudes towards oneself and more positive attitudes towards DSH than a clinical and a healthy comparison group, and whether the effects of CM are mediated by negative attitudes towards oneself.

METHOD

Females with DSH and psychiatric disorders (n = 34), females without DSH but with psychiatric disorders (n = 31) and healthy female individuals (n = 29) were compared regarding DSH, CM, attitudes towards the self and attitudes towards self-harm.

RESULTS

Females with DSH reported more emotional abuse and more self-hatred as compared to both comparison groups. The effect of emotional abuse was mediated by self-hatred. The DSH-group had significantly more positive attitudes towards DSH than the healthy comparison group.

CONCLUSION

Self-hatred and CM in the form of emotional abuse may be distinguishing characteristics of female patients with DSH in psychiatric settings. The present results are compatible with the hypothesis that emotional abuse leads to DSH via self-hatred, but the cross-sectional nature of the study precludes any causal conclusions. The clinical utility of the results is discussed.

Stress exposure and well-being: correlates of meeting criteria for bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, or both

PURPOSE

Bipolar and borderline personality disorders share similar features, are challenging to differentiate and sometimes co-occur in the same individual. This paper compares people with bipolar, borderline, both or neither, analyzing sociodemographic characteristics, lifetime exposure to stressors, and emotional, social, and physical wellbeing to illuminate differences in life experiences associated with expressing symptoms consistent with bipolar, borderline, or both.

METHODS

Data were analyzed from the 2012-13 National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC-III), N = 36,309. Survey participants were classified as bipolar (N = 488, 1.3%), borderline (N = 1758, 4.8%), both (N = 388, 1.1%), or neither (N = 33,675, 92.8%). Differences between these groups regarding demographics, adverse childhood experiences, recent stressors, lifetime trauma, psychiatric co-morbidities, and emotional, social, and physical wellbeing were assessed with the adjusted Wald F test.

RESULTS

People with bipolar were more likely to also have borderline (44.3%) than the reverse (18.1%). People with both disorders were least advantaged socioeconomically, most exposed to stressors and traumas across the life course, and had the worst wellbeing emotionally, socially, and physically. Differences between people with both disorders vs. borderline only were smaller than between people with borderline vs. bipolar, although bipolar disorder was associated with considerable hardship relative to having neither disorder.

CONCLUSION

Borderline personality disorder alone or in combination with bipolar is associated with worse economic, social, and health outcomes than bipolar alone. Borderline can resolve with evidence-based treatment, and it is critical to correctly differentiate between the two conditions, so people with borderline and/or bipolar have the optimum chance for recovery.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Neurocognition in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Call-to-Action Perspective Review

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) contribute to the development of personality traits leading to adult borderline personality disorder (BPD). Neurocognitive changes could partly mediate the association between ACEs and BPD. We discuss how exposure to ACEs could induce alterations in neurocognition, which, in turn, would contribute to the development of BPD. We conducted a review of MEDLINE articles through 2021, documenting a link between ACEs, neurocognitive impairments, and BPD, and also focusing on the pairwise associations. ACEs appear to have a strong impact on neurocognition and are a predictive factor for BPD. Maltreated, abused, and emotionally invalidated children are more likely to present BPD traits. Neurocognitive impairments in adults exposed to ACEs and in patients with BPD arise from similar brain alterations in the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. These impairments seem to be linked with clinical dimensions of BPD: increased impulsivity to altered inhibitory control; dissociative experiences to nonspecific autobiographical memory; and emotionally biased facial recognition to unstable interpersonal relationships. This perspective review highlights the contributory role of neurocognition in the association between ACEs and BPD. Additional research is needed, however, on the interconnections among ACEs, neurocognition, and BPD. Future studies could also focus on developing tools to assess early adversity in BPD specifically and on psychotherapeutic approaches to promptly remedy neurocognitive impairments.

Early Life Adversity and Neuropsychiatric Disease: Differential Outcomes and Translational Relevance of Rodent Models

It is now well-established that early life adversity (ELA) predisposes individuals to develop several neuropsychiatric conditions, including anxiety disorders, and major depressive disorder. However, ELA is a very broad term, encompassing multiple types of negative childhood experiences, including physical, sexual and emotional abuse, physical and emotional neglect, as well as trauma associated with chronic illness, family separation, natural disasters, accidents, and witnessing a violent crime. Emerging literature suggests that in humans, different types of adverse experiences are more or less likely to produce susceptibilities to certain conditions that involve affective dysfunction. To investigate the driving mechanisms underlying the connection between experience and subsequent disease, neuroscientists have developed several rodent models of ELA, including pain exposure, maternal deprivation, and limited resources. These studies have also shown that different types of ELA paradigms produce different but somewhat overlapping behavioral phenotypes. In this review, we first investigate the types of ELA that may be driving different neuropsychiatric outcomes and brain changes in humans. We next evaluate whether rodent models of ELA can provide translationally relevant information regarding links between specific types of experience and changes in neural circuits underlying dysfunction.

Childhood Maltreatment and Borderline Personality Disorder: The Mediating Role of Difficulties with Emotion Regulation

Exposure to childhood maltreatment (CM) increases the risk of developing borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, it remains unclear what mechanisms might mediate this link. One candidate of interest is difficulties with emotion regulation. This study aims to examine the pattern of relations among CM, difficulties with emotion regulation, and the risk of developing BPD. A total of 162 individuals diagnosed with current BPD and 162 matched healthy controls completed self-reported questionnaires assessing CM and difficulties with emotion regulation. The authors found high correlations between CM and BPD diagnosis (r = .73, p < .001). Difficulties with emotion regulation were found to mediate the link between CM and BPD diagnosis (p < .001). Results suggest that CM may play a key role in the etiology of BPD and that difficulties with emotion regulation might be a mediating component between CM and BPD.

Borderline personality disorder: associations with psychiatric disorders, somatic illnesses, trauma, and adverse behaviors

In one of the largest, most comprehensive studies on borderline personality disorder (BPD) to date, this article places into context associations between this diagnosis and (1) 16 different psychiatric disorders, (2) eight somatic illnesses, and (3) six trauma and adverse behaviors, e.g., violent crime victimization and self-harm. Second, it examines the sex differences in individuals with BPD and their siblings. A total of 1,969,839 Swedish individuals were identified from national registers. Cumulative incidence with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was evaluated after 5 years of follow-up from BPD diagnosis and compared with a matched cohort. Associations were estimated as hazard ratios (HR) with 95% CIs from Cox regression. 12,175 individuals were diagnosed with BPD (85.3% female). Individuals diagnosed with BPD had higher cumulative incidences and HRs for nearly all analyzed indicators, especially psychiatric disorders. Anxiety disorders were most common (cumulative incidence 95% CI 33.13% [31.48-34.73]). Other notable findings from Cox regressions include psychotic disorders (HR 95% CI 24.48 [23.14-25.90]), epilepsy (3.38 [3.08-3.70]), violent crime victimization (7.65 [7.25-8.06]), and self-harm (17.72 [17.27-18.19]). HRs in males and females with BPD had overlapping CIs for nearly all indicators. This indicates that a BPD diagnosis is a marker of vulnerability for negative events and poor physical and mental health similarly for both males and females. Having a sibling with BPD was associated with an increased risk for psychiatric disorders, trauma, and adverse behaviors but not somatic disorders. Clinical implications include the need for increased support for patients with BPD navigating the health care system.

The Prevalence of PTSD in a Forensic Psychiatric Setting: The Impact of Traumatic Lifetime Experiences

Background

Several studies have identified traumatic history among forensic patients and its association with criminal behaviors and psychiatric diagnoses. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is highly prevalent in forensic settings causing a serious deterioration of the primary psychiatric disorder.

Aims

Our study aims to evaluate the prevalence of PTSD and the role of traumatic experiences and abuse in the development of severe psychiatric disorders in a sample of psychiatric offenders.

Methods

Fifty-three patients admitted in Italian high intensity therapeutic facilities-the Residenze per l'Esecuzione delle Misure di Sicurezza (REMS)-were evaluated with the Trauma Experience Checklist (TEC) and the Millon Clinical Multiaxal Inventory (MCMI-III) to study lifetime traumatic memories and general psychopathology, respectively.

Results

Preliminary findings show that about 41% (N = 22) of psychiatric offenders were affected by PTSD, often not due to a single episode but to multiple lifetime traumas. Therefore, lifetime traumatic experiences and specifically sexual abuse are significant risk factors for the development of a personality disorder, which is present in the 38% (N = 20) of the sample.

Conclusions

The high PTSD prevalence and the strong association found between trauma and abuse with the development of a personality disorder emphasizes the importance of an early evaluation and intervention on traumatic experiences in this difficult population of psychiatric patients; in fact, the treatment of psychiatric offenders is actually vague and devoid of scientific evidence. Our results open up the perspective on the use of known and specific interventions for trauma, such as EMDR and Mindfulness.

Cluster B versus Cluster C Personality Disorders: A Comparison of Comorbidity, Suicidality, Traumatization and Global Functioning

A general clinical assumption states that cluster B personality disorders (PDs) represent a more severe form of PD than cluster C PDs. Consequently, most PD research is centered on cluster B PDs (especially borderline PD). Yet, prevalence ratings of cluster C PDs exceed those of cluster B PDs. In this explorative, cross-sectional study, we compared cluster B and C PD patients (N = 94) on a wide range of clinically-relevant severity measures, including comorbidity, suicidality, (childhood) traumatization and global functioning. Results showed that, although cluster B PD patients suffered more often from substance use disorders and lifetime suicide attempts, no difference could be established between groups for all other severity measures, including trauma variables. In our study, we additionally included a group of combined cluster B and C PDs, who were largely similar to both other groups. Although our study is insufficiently powered to claim a significant non-difference, these findings emphasize that high rates of comorbidity, suicidality, childhood traumatization and functional impairment apply to both cluster B and C patients. As such, our findings encourage more research into cluster C PDs, ultimately leading to more evidence-based treatments for this prevalent patient group. In addition, the high level of traumatization across groups calls for a routine trauma screening, especially since PD treatment may benefit from concurrent trauma treatment.

Structural Features Predict Sexual Trauma and Interpersonal Problems in Borderline Personality Disorder but Not in Controls: A Multi-Voxel Pattern Analysis

Child trauma plays an important role in the etiology of Bordeline Personality Disorder (BPD). Of all traumas, sexual trauma is the most common, severe and most associated with receiving a BPD diagnosis when adult. Etiologic models posit sexual abuse as a prognostic factor in BPD. Here we apply machine learning using Multiple Kernel Regression to the Magnetic Resonance Structural Images of 20 BPD and 13 healthy control (HC) to see whether their brain predicts five sources of traumas: sex abuse, emotion neglect, emotional abuse, physical neglect, physical abuse (Child Trauma Questionnaire; CTQ). We also applied the same analysis to predict symptom severity in five domains: affective, cognitive, impulsivity, interpersonal (Zanarini Rating Scale for Borderline Personality Disorder; Zan-BPD) for BPD patients only. Results indicate that CTQ sexual trauma is predicted by a set of areas including the amygdala, the Heschl area, the Caudate, the Putamen, and portions of the Cerebellum in BPD patients only. Importantly, interpersonal problems only in BPD patients were predicted by a set of areas including temporal lobe and cerebellar regions. Notably, sexual trauma and interpersonal problems were not predicted by structural features in matched healthy controls. This finding may help elucidate the brain circuit affected by traumatic experiences and connected with interpersonal problems BPD suffer from.

Role of thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness and psychological distress in the association between adverse childhood experiences and suicidal ideation in college students

BACKGROUND

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have a detrimental impact on short- and long-term mental and physical health. A growing body of research has indicated that the prevalence of suicidal phenomena is significantly higher among individuals with a history of ACEs. However, there is a lack of understanding about processes that result in ACEs leading to suicidal ideation when testing within a theoretical framework.

AIMS

To develop and test a multidimensional model that would explain the association between ACEs and suicidal ideation in college students.

METHOD

Data were obtained from a cross-sectional survey completed by 321 college students primarily recruited from universities in Ireland. Participants were aged 18-21 (n = 176) and 22-25 years (n = 145). An ACEs questionnaire, the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire, which assessed thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness, the CORE-10, which assessed psychological distress, and the Suicide Ideation Scale (SIS) were administered.

RESULTS

After controlling for gender and sexual orientation, results revealed a significant direct effect of ACEs on suicidal ideation such that more accumulated ACEs were associated with higher suicidal ideation (effect size 0.30; 95% CI 0.047-0.538). A significant indirect effect of ACEs on suicidal ideation through perceived burdensomeness and psychological distress, and thwarted belongingness and psychological distress, was observed (effect size 0.90; 95% CI 0.558-1.270).

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that ACEs have a detrimental impact on college students' mental health. Results highlight the potential benefits of ACE-informed interventions that target thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness to countervail suicidal ideation in college students.

Trauma and Outcomes of Mentalization-Based Therapy for Individuals With Borderline Personality Disorder

OBJECTIVE

Recent meta-analyses suggest that many patients with borderline personality disorder have a history of complex trauma. Although trauma is central in mentalization-based approaches to the understanding of borderline personality disorder, surprisingly little is known about the effects of trauma on outcomes of mentalization-based treatment (MBT). This article investigates the prevalence and impact of childhood trauma among patients with borderline personality disorder participating in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing day hospital MBT (MBT-DH) and intensive outpatient MBT (MBT-IOP).

METHODS

All 114 patients from the original multicenter RCT in the Netherlands were included in this study. Childhood trauma was assessed at baseline (with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire), and its impact on symptom severity, interpersonal functioning, and borderline pathology was investigated through multilevel modeling for 36 months after the start of treatment.

RESULTS

Childhood trauma was common among patients with borderline personality disorder referred to MBT, with more than 85% meeting cutoff criteria for substantial childhood trauma. Childhood trauma had little impact on outcomes of either MBT-DH or MBT-IOP in terms of improved borderline personality disorder features or interpersonal functioning. However, patients with substantial childhood trauma seemed to improve more rapidly with MBT-DH, as compared with MBT-IOP, in terms of symptom severity. In addition, patients with a history of emotional neglect showed more rapid changes in symptoms of borderline personality disorder with MBT-DH compared with MBT-IOP.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings are discussed in the context of a social communicative approach to borderline personality disorder, with a focus on the need to address trauma in MBT.

[Impact of dissociative phenomena on treatment outcome of inpatient psychotherapy of patients with borderline personality disorder]

Impact of dissociative phenomena on treatment outcome of inpatient psychotherapy of patients with borderline personality disorder Objectives: Although dissociative phenomena belong to the diagnostic criteria of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and are of high clinical relevance, their predictive significance with regard to the treatment outcome has hardly been investigated. Because some therapeutic and experimental studies suggest that dissociation can impede emotional learning and thus adversely affect the response to psychotherapy, we examined this issue in patients with BPD. Methods: In this naturalistic psychotherapy study we assessed 342 patients with BPD at the beginning and end of inpatient dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) with self-report measures for dissociation (Questionnaire on dissociative symptoms, FDS, as German version of the Dissociative Experiences Scale, DES) as well as general and borderline specific pathology (Brief Symptom Inventory, BSI; Borderline Symptom List, BSL) and quality of life (SF-12). Results: Both the general mental distress (BSI) and the borderline-specific pathology (BSL) as well as the psychosocial quality of life improved less in patients with initially severe dissociative symptoms than in those with less pronounced symptoms; this effect was mainly driven by the subscale derealisation of the Dissociative Experience Scale (DES), and was found particularly in women. Conclusion: Consistent with earlier findings, dissociative phenomena proved to be negative predictors of the therapeutic outcome in BPD women completing inpatient DBT. Whether this also applies to outpatient and other evidence-based treatment approaches for BPD remains to be clarified. Our results indicate the necessity to identify and treat dissociative symptoms as early as possible for a successful psychotherapy.

Functional neurologic disorders in an adult with propionic acidemia: a case report

BACKGROUND

Inborn errors of metabolism are often characterized by various psychiatric syndromes. Previous studies tend to classify psychiatric manifestations into clinical entities. Among inborn errors of metabolism, propionic acidemia (PA) is a rare inherited organic aciduria that leads to neurologic disabilities. Several studies in children with PA demonstrated that psychiatric disorders are associated to neurological symptoms. To our knowledge, no psychopathological description in adult with propionic acidemia is available.

CASE PRESENTATION

We aimed to compare the case of a 53-year-old woman with PA, to the previous psychiatric descriptions in children with PA and in adults with other inborn errors of metabolism. Our patient presented a large variety of signs: functional neurologic disorders, borderline personality traits (emotional dyregulation, dissociative and alexithymic trends, obsessive-compulsive disorders), occurring in a context of neurodevelopmental disorder.

CONCLUSION

Clinical and paraclinical examinations are in favor of a mild mental retardation since childhood and disorders of behavior and personality without any definite psychiatric syndrome, as already described in other metabolic diseases (group 3). Nonetheless, further studies are needed to clarify the psychiatric alterations within adult patients with PA.

Investigating the relationship between childhood sexual abuse, self-harm repetition and suicidal intent: mixed-methods study

BACKGROUND

Research into the association between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and self-harm repetition is limited.

AIMS

We aimed to examine the association between self-harm repetition, mental health conditions, suicidal intent and CSA experiences among people who frequently self-harm.

METHOD

A mixed-methods study was conducted including consecutive patients aged ≥18 years, with five or more self-harm presentations, in three Irish hospitals. Information was extracted from psychiatric records and patients were invited to participate in a semi-structured interview. Data was collected and analysed with a mixed-methods, convergent parallel design. In tandem, the association between CSA and self-harm repetition, suicidal intent and mental health conditions was examined with logistic regression models and independent sample t-test, with psychiatric records data. Thematic analysis was conducted with interview data, to explore CSA experiences and self-harm repetition.

RESULTS

Between March 2016 and July 2019, information was obtained on 188 consecutive participants, with 36 participants completing an interview. CSA was recorded in 42% of the total sample and 72.2% of those interviewed. CSA was positively associated with self-harm repetition (odds ratio 6.26, 95% CI 3.94-9.94, P = 0.00). Three themes emerged when exploring participants' CSA experiences: CSA as a precipitating factor for self-harm, secrecy of CSA accentuating shame, and loss experiences linked to CSA and self-harm.

CONCLUSIONS

CSA was frequently reported among people who frequently self-harm, and associated with self-harm repetition. Identification of patients at risk of repetition is key for suicide prevention. This is an at-risk group with particular characteristics that must be considered; comprehensive patient histories can help inform and tailor treatment pathways.

Attachment anxiety as mediator of the relationship between childhood trauma and personality dysfunction in borderline personality disorder

Insecure attachment has been described as mediating the relationship between childhood trauma and dysfunctional personality traits in different mental disorders. Despite the role insecure attachment and childhood trauma have independently demonstrated to play as determinants of borderline personality disorder, less is known about the mediating mechanisms explaining these associations. For the first time, we assessed adult attachment, childhood trauma and dimensional personality pathology in a sample of outpatients with borderline personality disorder and tested whether the association between childhood trauma and personality dysfunction was at least partially attributable to insecure attachment. The results showed that attachment anxiety fully mediated the relationship between specific types of trauma (emotional abuse and physical neglect) and emotional dysregulation. Further, emotional abuse was both directly associated with dissocial behaviour and indirectly via attachment anxiety (partial mediation). Emotional abuse has been described as an essential environmental factor for the development of borderline personality disorder and emotional dysregulation, on its part, as the core feature of the condition. Our results indicate that attachment anxiety explains the link between these central aspects of borderline personality disorder. Our findings are consistent with previous research and current etiological understanding of the condition and provide support for recommending a careful assessment of childhood traumatic experiences and adult attachment style to gain a more comprehensive insight into the symptoms and its heterogeneity. As a secondary aim, we assessed the effect parental mental illness may have in these mediation models, but no significant influence on childhood trauma, attachment or personality was found.

The Impact of Stress Within and Across Generations: Neuroscientific and Epigenetic Considerations

The impact of stress and trauma on biological systems in humans can be substantial. They can result in epigenetic changes, accelerated brain development and sexual maturation, and predisposition to psychopathology. Such modifications may be accompanied by behavioral, emotional, and cognitive overtones during one's lifetime. Exposure during sensitive periods of neural development may lead to long-lasting effects that may not be affected by subsequent environmental interventions. The cumulative effects of life stressors in an individual may affect offspring's methylome makeup and epigenetic clocks, neurohormonal modulation and stress reactivity, and physiological and reproductive development. While offspring may suffer deleterious effects from parental stress and their own early-life adversity, these factors may also confer traits that prove beneficial and enhance fitness to their own environment. This article synthesizes the data on how stress shapes biological and behavioral dimensions, drawing from preclinical and human models. Advances in this field of knowledge should potentially allow for an improved understanding of how interventions may be increasingly tailored according to individual biomarkers and developmental history.

Impact of Childhood Maltreatment in Borderline Personality Disorder on Treatment Response to Intensive Dialectical Behavior Therapy

Childhood maltreatment (CM), including emotional, physical, and sexual abuse and emotional and physical neglect, is associated with severity of borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, knowledge on the impact of CM on treatment response is scarce. The authors investigated whether self-reported CM or one of its subtypes affected treatment retention, depressive symptoms, and impulsivity throughout short-term intensive dialectical behavior therapy (I-DBT) in 333 patients with BPD. Data were analyzed with linear and logistic regressions and linear mixed models, using a Bayesian approach. Patients who reported childhood emotional abuse had a higher dropout rate, whereas it was lower in patients who reported childhood emotional neglect. Emotional neglect predicted a greater decrease of depressive symptoms, and global CM predicted a greater decrease of impulsivity. The authors concluded that patients with BPD who experienced CM might benefit from I-DBT in specific symptom domains. Nonetheless, the impact of emotional abuse on higher dropout needs to be considered.

Specific Pathways From Adverse Experiences to BPD in Adolescence: A Criteria-Based Approach of Trauma

Within the European Research Network on BPD (EURNET-BPD; n = 85 BPD adolescents, n = 84 healthy controls, aged 13-19), this study explored the combination of three types of adversity-maltreatment, stressful life events (early separation from parents, parental suicide attempt, parental chronic disease) and parental bonding-as predictors of BPD, on a criteria-based approach. Results indicated that cumulative traumatic experiences largely characterize borderline adolescent's history; and, in the multivariate regression models, all adversity experiences were likely to contribute to BPD symptoms. The role of emotional abuse, parental suicide attempt, and a decrease in paternal level of care were particularly prominent. Moreover, adversities combinations were different for each criterion, suggesting that specific sets of traumatic experiences are leading to BPD. These findings argue for a further criteria-based exploration of trauma in borderline patients, as well as a more accurate and efficient prevention.

Body connection mediates the relationship between traumatic childhood experiences and impaired emotion regulation in borderline personality disorder

BACKGROUND

Previous studies revealed an association between traumatic childhood experiences and emotional dysregulation in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, possible mediating pathways are still not fully understood. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential mediating role of body connection, describing the awareness of the relationship of bodily and mental states, for the association between a history of traumatic childhood experiences and BPD core symptomatology.

METHODS

One-hundred-twelve adult female individuals with BPD and 96 healthy female controls (HC) were included. Impaired emotion regulation, traumatic childhood experiences, and BPD symptomatology were assessed with self-report questionnaires. The Scale of Body Connection was used to assess two dimensions of body connection, that is body awareness, describing attendance to bodily information in daily life and noticing bodily responses to emotions and/or environment and body dissociation, describing a sense of separation from one's own body, due to avoidance or emotional disconnection. Mann-Whitney U tests were employed to test for group differences (BPD vs. HC) on the two SBC subscales and associations with clinical symptoms were analyzed with Spearman correlations. We performed mediation analyses in the BPD group to test the assumption that body connection could act as a mediator between a history of traumatic childhood experiences and emotion dysregulation.

RESULTS

Individuals with BPD reported significantly lower levels of body awareness and significantly higher levels of body dissociation compared to HC. Body dissociation, traumatic childhood experiences, and emotion dysregulation were significantly positively associated. Further analyses revealed that body dissociation, but not body awareness, significantly and fully mediated the positive relationship between traumatic childhood experiences and impaired emotion regulation in the BPD sample. This mediation survived when trait dissociation, i.e., general dissociative experiences not necessarily related to the body, was statistically controlled for.

CONCLUSION

Certain dimensions of body connection seem to be disturbed in BPD patients, with body dissociation being an important feature linking a history of traumatic childhood experiences to current deficits in emotion regulation.

Complex PTSD and borderline personality disorder

BACKGROUND

This article builds on a previous review (Ford and Courtois, Borderline Personal Disord Emot Dysregul 1:9, 2014) which concluded that complex posttraumatic stress disorder (cPTSD) could not be conceptualized as a sub-type of either PTSD or BPD. Recent research is reviewed that extends and clarifies the still nascent understanding of the relationship between cPTSD and BPD.

MAIN BODY

The circumscribed formulation of adult cPTSD that has been developed, validated, and included in the 11th Edition of the International Classification of Diseases has spurred research aimed at differentiating cPTSD and BPD both descriptively and empirically. A newly validated Developmental Trauma Disorder (DTD) syndrome for children and adolescents provides a basis for systematic research on the developmental course and origins of adult cPTSD and BPD. This review summarizes recent empirical findings regarding BPD, PTSD, and cPTSD in terms of: (1) prevalence and comorbidity; (2) clinical phenomenology; (3) traumatic antecedents; (4) psychobiology; (5) emotion dysregulation; (6) dissociation; and (7) empirically supported approaches to clinical assessment and psychotherapeutic treatment.

CONCLUSION

The evidence suggests that PTSD, cPTSD, and BPD are potentially comorbid but distinct syndromes. A hypothesis is advanced to stimulate scientific research and clinical innovation defining and differentiating the disorders, positing that they may represent a continuum paralleling the classic conceptualization of the stress response, with dissociation potentially involved in each disorder.

Stimulus valence, episodic memory, and the priming of brain activation profiles in borderline personality disorder

BACKGROUND

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by instability in affective regulation that can result in a loss of cognitive control. Triggers may be neuronal responses to emotionally valenced context and/or stimuli. 'Neuronal priming' indexes the familiarity of stimuli, and may capture the obligatory effects of affective valence on the brain's processing system, and how such valence mediates responses to the repeated presentation of stimuli. We investigated the effects of affective valence of stimuli on neuronal priming (i.e. changes in activation to repeated presentation of stimuli), and if these effects distinguished BPD patients from controls.

METHODS

Forty BPD subjects and 25 control subjects (age range: 18-44) participated in an episodic memory task during fMRI. Stimuli were presented in alternating epochs of encoding (six images of positive, negative, and neutral valence) and recognition (six images for 'old' v. 'new' recognition). Analyses focused on inter-group differences in the change in activation to repeated stimuli (presented during Encoding and Recognition).

RESULTS

Relative to controls, BPD showed greater priming (generally greater decrease from encoding to recognition) for negatively valenced stimuli. Conversely, BPD showed less priming for positively valenced stimuli (generally greater increase from encoding to recognition).

CONCLUSION

Plausibly, the relative familiarity of negative valence to patients with BPD exerts an influence on obligatory responses to repeated stimuli leading to repetition priming of neuronal profiles. The specific effects of valence on memory and/or attention, and consequently on priming can inform the understanding of mechanisms of altered salience for affective stimuli in BPD.