title: Beliefs about unmet interpersonal needs mediate the relation between conflictual family relations and borderline personality features in young adult females.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Central to most theories of borderline personality disorder (BPD) is the notion that the family environment interacts with genetically-based vulnerabilities to influence the development of BPD, with particular attention given to risk conferred by conflictual familial relations. However, the extent to which family conflict may relate to the development of BPD via related interpersonal beliefs is currently unknown. This study sought to test the hypothesis that the concurrent relation between conflictual family relations and borderline features in female college students is explained by beliefs associated with real or perceived unmet interpersonal needs (captured by Joiner's [2005] Interpersonal Psychological Theory, specifically thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness).
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample included 267 female undergraduates ages 18-25 years (M = 20.86; SD = 1.80). Level of borderline personality features, unmet interpersonal needs, and family conflict were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Bivariate analyses revealed significant relations between both thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness, conflictual family relations, and borderline features. Multivariate analyses revealed that thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness both mediated the relation between family conflict and borderline personality features, thus supporting a multiple mediation model.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This cross-sectional study is a preliminary step towards confirming the broad theoretical hypothesis that conflictual family relations relate to beliefs about thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness, which, in turn, relate to borderline personality pathology. Limitations and areas of future research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Houston, 126 Heyne, Houston, TX 77024 USA.
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kalpakci
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Houston, 126 Heyne, Houston, TX 77024 USA.
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Venta
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Houston, 126 Heyne, Houston, TX 77024 USA.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sharp
keywords: Borderline personality disorder; Family conflict; Interpersonal Psychological Theory; Multiple mediation; Perceived burdensomeness; Thwarted belongingness