title: Perceptions of contradictory communication from parental figures by adults with borderline personality disorder: a preliminary study.
abstract: This study investigated a hypothesized correlation between contradictory responses from parental figures perceived in present-day interactions by adult subjects and the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD). One hundred subjects were given a questionnaire designed to assess the frequency of perceived parental response patterns divided into appropriate, conflicting, polarized, and neglectful categories. The BPD and a group subthreshold for the disorder endorsed significantly more conflicting and fewer appropriate responses for the first parental figure rated than did both patient control subjects and normal control subjects without BPD; a trend toward similar results was found for the second parental figure also. The frequency of polarized and neglectful responses was not significantly different among the groups. There was indirect evidence that BPD subjects did not engage in the defense mechanism of "splitting" when filling out the questionnaire. These results suggest that contradictory family communication patterns might be considered in models of ongoing reinforcement for dysfunctional BPD behavior.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38105, USA. dmallen@utmem.edu
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: Hillel
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Abramson
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Whitson
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Taher
authors.forename: Stacy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Veneracion-Yumul
authors.forename: Shobha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kondam
authors.forename: Yogesh
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Goswami
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mason
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D003142:Communication; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents; D012938:Social Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires