Premium
Anxious adult attachment may mediate the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and borderline personality disorder
Author(s) -
Frias Alvaro,
Palma Carol,
Farriols Núria,
Gonzalez Laura,
Horta Anna
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
personality and mental health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.193
H-Index - 22
eISSN - 1932-863X
pISSN - 1932-8621
DOI - 10.1002/pmh.1348
Subject(s) - borderline personality disorder , psychology , psychological abuse , sexual abuse , clinical psychology , attachment theory , logistic regression , personality , personality disorders , childhood abuse , association (psychology) , psychiatry , injury prevention , poison control , medicine , psychotherapist , medical emergency , social psychology
ABSTRACT Background Childhood trauma has been associated with borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, research has not yet provided conclusive evidence concerning the mediating mechanisms. Methods Seventy women diagnosed with BPD were compared with other 60 women who met DSM‐IV criteria for other personality disorders on measures of childhood trauma and attachment. Results Patients with BPD reported higher severity of emotional, physical and sexual abuse than patients with other personality disorders. Moreover, BPD patients also showed greater preoccupied–anxious adult attachment. At model 1, logistic regression analysis revealed that only childhood emotional abuse predicted the occurrence of BPD. At model 2, this association was no longer significant, and the addition of preoccupied–anxious adult attachment was significantly associated with a greater likelihood of BPD diagnosis. Conclusions These findings support a specific relationship between childhood emotional abuse and the occurrence of BPD, which may be accounted for by preoccupied–anxious adult attachment. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.