Early family environment, borderline personality symptoms, and somatic preoccupation among internal medicine outpatients.
BACKGROUND
The literature on the role of early somatic concerns in children, and their relationship to borderline personality and somatic preoccupation, is scant.


METHODS
In this study, using a cross-sectional approach, a sample of convenience, and self-report measures, we examined among a sample of 116 internal medicine outpatients whether any somatic concerns during childhood might relate to borderline personality symptoms and/or somatic preoccupation in adulthood.


RESULTS
We found that several somatic concerns during childhood correlated with the measures for borderline personality symptoms and somatic preoccupation. When these variables were analyzed through 2 multiple regression analyses, the only uniquely significant predictor for both borderline personality symptoms and somatic preoccupation was whether the respondent had had an unusual or complicated medical illness during childhood.


CONCLUSIONS
Unusual or complicated medical illnesses in childhood may be risk factors for both borderline personality and somatic preoccupation in adulthood.
Department of Psychiatry, Wright State University School of Medicine, Dayton, OH 45408, USA. randy.sansone@khnetwork.org
Randy A
RA
Sansone
Victoria R
VR
Buckner
Nighat A
NA
Tahir
Michael W
MW
Wiederman
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012931:Social Environment; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult