The overlap in definition and presentation between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD) has raised questions about the relationship of these disorders. Are they separate disorders, variants of the same disorder, or comorbid conditions? The present study examined etiological variables and current functioning among two groups of outpatient women with a history of childhood sexual abuse: those with PTSD only (N = 45) and those with PTSD and BPD (N = 26). The groups did not differ in severity, frequency, or number of perpetrators of their childhood sexual abuse, or whether the perpetrator was a family member or not. The additional diagnosis of BPD was associated with earlier age of abuse onset and significantly higher rates of physical and verbal abuse by mother. Severity and frequency of PTSD symptoms were not affected by BPD diagnosis, suggesting that the personality disorder and PTSD are independent symptom constructs. The PTSD+BPD group scored higher on several other clinical measures including anger, dissociation, anxiety, and interpersonal problems. They did not differ in their frequency of use of mental health services but tended to be less compliant in their treatment. These and other findings are discussed, and implications for treatment are considered.
Findings from a study of body image, weight concern, and disordered eating in lesbians are presented. While lesbians were more critical of traditional social norms regarding the rights and roles of women in general than heterosexual controls, this difference disappeared in regard to norms concerning women's weight and appearance. Dieting was frequent, almost half of the participants were dissatisfied with their weight, and self-esteem was strongly influenced by body esteem. A large number of lesbians said that physical attractiveness was important in a partner. However, lesbians' conception of physical attractiveness had a more functional quality, related to physical condition, and less concern for conventional aspects related to "looks" than heterosexual women. Involvement in lesbian, but not feminist, activities was found to be a protective factor against low body esteem. These findings are discussed in terms of understanding lesbians' relationships to beauty norms, variations across subgroups, and risk for eating problems.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.