title: Individual characteristics, familial experience, and psychopathology in children of mothers with borderline personality disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to examine individual characteristics, familial experience, and psychopathology of children of mothers with borderline personality disorder (BPD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Children of mothers with BPD were compared to children of mothers (1) with depressive disorders, (2) with cluster C personality disorders, and (3) without psychiatric conditions, including temperament dimensions, perceived parenting behavior, and psychopathology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to other groups, children of mothers with BPD demonstrated higher scores on the temperament dimension of harm avoidance. Moreover, they tended to perceive their mothers as being overly protective. Regarding psychopathology, these children exhibited a higher prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems than comparison groups. Particularly significant was the finding that children of mothers with BPD described themselves as having very low self-esteem.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children of mothers with BPD are exposed to a combination of risk factors and are at greater risk of emotional, behavioral, and somatic problems. Early treatment of children at risk may help prevent these children from developing severe psychopathology.
authors.affiliation: All of the authors are with the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.. Electronic address: barnow@uni-greifswald.de.
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barnow
authors.affiliation: All of the authors are with the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Spitzer
authors.affiliation: All of the authors are with the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Hans J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Grabe
authors.affiliation: All of the authors are with the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kessler
authors.affiliation: All of the authors are with the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Harald J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Freyberger
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D003710:Demography; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D013694:Temperament