Dissociative experiences of adolescents with borderline personality disorder: description and prediction

Abstract

Aims The first purpose of this study was to assess the severity of dissociative experiences reported by adolescent inpatients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). The second purpose was to compare the severity of their dissociative symptoms to those reported by a sample of adult inpatients with BPD. The third purpose of this study was to assess a range of clinically meaningful predictors of the severity of dissociation in adolescents and adults with BPD. Methods The Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) was administered to a total of 89 hospitalized girls and boys aged 13–17 with BPD and 290 adult inpatients with BPD. Predictors of the severity of dissociation in adolescents and adults with BPD were assessed using the Revised Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (a semi-structured interview), the NEO, and the SCID I. Results Borderline adolescents and adults had non-significant differences on their overall DES scores and subscale scores. They also had a non-significant distribution of low, moderate, and high scores. In terms of multivariate predictors, neither temperament nor childhood adversity was a significant predictor of the severity of dissociative symptoms in adolescents. However, co-occurring eating disorders were found in multivariate analyses to be the only bivariate predictor to significantly predict this outcome. In adults with BPD, however, both the severity of childhood sexual abuse and co-occurring PTSD were significantly related to the severity of dissociative symptoms in multivariate analyses. Conclusions Taken together, the results of this study suggest that the severity of dissociation is not significantly different in adolescents and adults with BPD. However, the etiological factors differ substantially.

Cultural Differences, Diagnosis, and the Intervention in Adolescence in Borderline Personality Disorder

“…BPD negatively impacts adolescents' physical and psychological well-being, which influences their lifespan; therefore, it is necessary to make a plan of treatment to intervene in the conditions to prevent the deterioration of BPD. The current study suggested that the treatment of adolescent BPD should be based on psychotherapy rather than medicine; nevertheless, medication, such as secondgeneration antipsychotics, was still a potent and useful adjunct for adolescent BPD [12]. Nonpharmacological, which focuses on psychotherapy, is preferable because of fewer physical adverse side effects [12].…”

“…Therefore, clinicians, psychotherapists, and staff in the community and schools should pay attention to the adolescents who experienced maltreatment, poverty, bullying, and sexual abuse in the past to intervene in borderline personality traits before it turns to become BPD. BPD is highly likely to appear as a complication with other mental disorders during adolescence; therefore, the mental disorders that the adolescent is diagnosed with can also be a predictor of BPD [12]. Previous research emphasized that eating disorders, the reason is binge eating, could be a symptom of BPD's risk behaviours among adolescents [12].…”

“…BPD is highly likely to appear as a complication with other mental disorders during adolescence; therefore, the mental disorders that the adolescent is diagnosed with can also be a predictor of BPD [12]. Previous research emphasized that eating disorders, the reason is binge eating, could be a symptom of BPD's risk behaviours among adolescents [12]. The study also indicated that PTSD could be another common complication of BPD due to childhood trauma that the adolescent experienced in the past, and the symptoms of BPD might appear early in adolescence if that adolescent had PTSD [12].…”

“…Previous research emphasized that eating disorders, the reason is binge eating, could be a symptom of BPD's risk behaviours among adolescents [12]. The study also indicated that PTSD could be another common complication of BPD due to childhood trauma that the adolescent experienced in the past, and the symptoms of BPD might appear early in adolescence if that adolescent had PTSD [12]. The mental disorder of externalized issues in adolescents, particularly with ODD, would negatively affect the development of personalities of BPD [22].…”

“…The mental and physical health of adolescents are the symbols of well-being in a country so the study of adolescent psychopathology and intervention is necessary [11]. According to previous research, the symptoms of BPD would start to appear during adolescence, such as dissociation [9,12]. The study showed that 3% of the population of adolescents had BPD, and a large proportion of them were diagnosed until their adulthood [10].…”