title: Subtype differentiation of patients with borderline personality disorder using a circumplex model of interpersonal behavior.
abstract: The considerable heterogeneity of symptomatology in persons with borderline personality disorder (BPD) has led some to suggest the existence of subtypes within this diagnosis. However, no study to date has examined subtypes according to differences in interpersonal functioning, despite the central role of interpersonal problems in the BPD diagnosis. The interpersonal problems of 95 patients with BPD were investigated using the German version of the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems, a self-report measure based on a circumplex model of interpersonal functioning. Data were analyzed by means of cluster analysis. The results supported the existence of two distinct subtypes of persons with BPD, labeled "autonomous" and "dependent." Four-month longitudinal assessment indicated that these types were stable over time, suggesting the categorization reflected trait, as opposed to state, patterns of interpersonal behavior. Implications of these findings for future research and management of BPD are discussed.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Freiburg Medical School, Hauptstr. 5, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Leihener
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Haaf
authors.forename: Carola
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lieb
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stieglitz
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bohus
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011613:Psychotherapy; D009626:Terminology as Topic