Predictive factors for borderline personality disorder: patients' early traumatic experiences and losses suffered by the attachment figure. The Italian Group for the Study of Dissociation.
OBJECTIVE
To test the hypothesis that serious losses in the life of the attachment figure and patients' early traumatic experiences are risk factors for the development of borderline personality disorder.


METHODS
A multicentric hospital-based case-control study of 66 cases and 146 controls.


RESULTS
We estimated an odds ratio of 2.5 (95% CI 1.1-5.8) for mothers' serious losses experienced within 2 years of patients' birth and an odds ratio of 5.3 (95% CI 2.1-13) for patients' early traumatic experiences. Both of them are adjusted for the confounding effect of the other as well as for that of age, size of family and type of patient (in- or out-patient), using a multiple logistic function.


CONCLUSIONS
Mourning process in the mother within 2 years of the patient's birth and patients' early traumatic experiences are predictive factors for the development of borderline personality disorder.
Liotti
G
G
APC School of Psychotherapy, Rome, Italy.
Pasquini
P
P
D000328:Adult; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D009769:Object Attachment; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires