title: Childhood Precursors of Adult Borderline Personality Disorder Features: A Longitudinal Study.
abstract: This study identifies childhood personality traits that are precursors of adult Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) features. In a longitudinal study, childhood personality traits were assessed at age 11 (N = 100) using the California Child Q-set (CCQ: Block and Block, 1980). A number of these Q-items were found to be significantly correlated (p < 0.001) with a prototype-based measure of BPD features at age 23. Factor analysis of these Q-items suggested that they could be characterized by two underlying personality dimensions: Impulsivity and Nonconformity/Aggression. The findings thus provide evidence that childhood personality traits predict adult BPD features. Identifying such childhood precursors provides an opportunity for early intervention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Williams College, Willliamstown, MA.
authors.forename: Phebe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cramer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality / Q000502:physiology*; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000592:standards*; D011379:Prognosis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards*; D011779:Q-Sort; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D055815:Young Adult