Individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) fear abandonment and exhibit instability in their close relationships. These interpersonal difficulties may be influenced by the propensity to interpret neutral social stimuli (e.g., nonemotional faces) as untrustworthy. This study evaluated the hypothesis that BPD features are associated with attributions of untrustworthiness to neutral faces. Additionally, the authors hypothesized that the trait of rejection sensitivity (RS) is also associated with BPD features and mediates the relationship between BPD features and untrustworthy facial trait appraisal. An undergraduate, nonclinical sample (N = 95) was assessed for BPD features, RS, and trust appraisal of neutral faces. Higher BPD features were associated with lower ratings of trustworthiness of the faces and higher scores on RS. Furthermore, as hypothesized, the association between BPD features and trust appraisal was mediated by RS. Results are discussed in the context of a proposed model of the social cognitive mechanisms of interpersonal hypersensitivity in BPD.

Patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) suffer greatly from their unstable interpersonal relationships. Studies on explanatory mechanisms driving social dysfunctions in patients' real-life relationships are, however, lacking. Here, we aimed to investigate one of the most central aspects of close relationships, interpersonal trust, in romantic relationships of persons with BPD. We tested the hypothesis that patients with BPD show unstable trustworthiness perception toward their partner, which we expected to be most pronounced after a relationship-threatening situation. Thirty-one heterosexual couples in which the women were diagnosed with BPD and 36 healthy control (HC) couples (total N = 134) each discussed three different topics that where (a) neutral (favorite films), (b) personally threatening (personal fears), and (c) relationship threatening (possible reasons for separation from partner). Trustworthiness appraisal of the partner was assessed after each conversation by self-report. BPD patients did not differ from HC women on trustworthiness perception after the neutral conversation but reported diminished trustworthiness perception after both threatening situations compared to HCs. BPD patients' trustworthiness perception was by trend decreased after the separation versus fear condition. The perceived tenderness in the relationship was a protective factor. The inability to maintain a stable image of a trustworthy partner during threatening situations might lead to difficulties in interpersonal relationships of patients with BPD. Although relationship threats possibly play a particular role in this context, trustworthiness perception decreases are not limited to this kind of threat. (PsycINFO Database Record

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Relationship dysfunction is a key criterion of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Nevertheless, little is known about the characteristics of romantic relationship functioning in BPD. In this study, couples in which the women were diagnosed with BPD (BPD couples) and healthy control couples (HC) were compared in their perceived relationship characteristics (e.g., relationship quality) and interpersonal experience variables (e.g., attachment). The hypothesis was tested that insecure attachment styles account for group differences in relationship characteristics. Variables were measured by self-report. Romantic relationships were appraised as more negative and conflictual by both members of BPD couples compared to HC. The perception of women with BPD was often more negative than that of their male partners, indicating potential biases in BPD patients' relationship evaluation. Insecure attachment styles only partially explained group differences in relationship characteristics, showing that attachment style is one, but not the only predictor of decreased relationship functioning in BPD couples.