Does childhood trauma cause personality disorders in adults?
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between trauma in childhood and personality disorders in adulthood.


METHODS
A review of the literature was conducted.


RESULTS
The reported associations between trauma and personality pathology are illuminated by the following research findings: 1) personality is heritable; 2) only a minority of patients with severe personality disorders report childhood trauma; and 3) children are generally resilient, and traumatic experiences do not consistently lead to psychopathology.


CONCLUSIONS
The role of trauma in the personality disorders is best understood in the context of gene-environment interactions.
Paris
J
J
McGill University, Sir Mortimer B Davis Jewish General Hospital, Institute of Community and Family Psychiatry, Montreal, Quebec.
D000328:Adult; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology; D005192:Family Health; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D010551:Personality / Q000235:genetics; D010553:Personality Development; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies