Herta Guttman

PSYCHOPATHOLOGY, CHILDHOOD TRAUMA, AND PERSONALITY TRAITS IN PATIENTS WITH BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER AND THEIR SISTERS

The aim of this study was to document and compare adverse childhood experiences, and personality profiles in women with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and their sisters, and to determine how these factors impact current psychopathology. Fifty-six patients with BPD and their sisters were compared on measures assessing psychopathology, personality traits, and childhood adversities. Most sisters showed little evidence of psychopathology. Both groups reported dysfunctional parent-child relationships and a high prevalence of childhood trauma. Subjects with BPD reported experiencing more emotional abuse and intrafamilial sexual abuse, but more similarities than differences between probands and sisters were found. In multilevel analyses, personality traits of affective instability and impulsivity predicted DIB-R scores and SCL-90-R scores, above and beyond trauma. There were few relationships between childhood adversities and other measures of psychopathology. Sensitivity to adverse experiences, as reflected in the development of psychopathology, appears to be influenced by personality trait profiles.

Using a Sibling Design to Compare Childhood Adversities in Female Patients With BPD and Their Sisters

Abuse and neglect are well-established risk correlates of borderline personality disorder (BPD). The goal of this study was to examine whether BPD probands can be differentiated from their sisters with respect to a range of developmental adversity and maltreatment indicators, including retrospective self-reports of past experiences of childhood abuse and neglect, dysfunctional parent–child relationships and peer victimization and dysfunctional peer relationships. A total of 53 patients with BPD were compared to 53 sisters who were currently free of psychopathology on measures assessing childhood adversities. Both probands and sisters reported similar prevalence of intrafamilial abuse, although BPD patients reported more severe physical and emotional abuse. BPD patients reported higher prevalence of physical abuse by peers. These findings generally support the principle of multifinality, in which similar histories of adversities can be associated with a variety of outcomes, ranging from psychopathology to resilience.

Platelet [3H] paroxetine binding in female patients with borderline personality disorder and their sisters

Paroxetine binding could be a vulnerability marker for traits associated with borderline personality disorder (BPD). To study this relationship, we examined [³H] paroxetine binding in female patients with BPD and their sisters. The sample consisted of 54 sibling pairs in which a proband met criteria for BPD. All subjects were given the Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines, revised (DIB-R), the Diagnostic Assessment for Personality Pathology: Brief Questionnaire (DAPP-BQ), the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS), the Affective Lability Scale (ALS), the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAM-A), the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), and the Symptom Checklist-90, revised (SCL-90-R). All subjects had platelets assayed for [³H] paroxetine binding. There were no significant differences between probands and sisters, but both groups scored significantly lower than a previously studied control group on B(max). There were no differences on Kd. Neither B(max) nor K(d) was related to most trait or symptomatic measures. Paroxetine binding could reflect endophenotypes common to BPD probands and their first-degree relatives.