Physical, sexual, emotional abuse in childhood – prerequisites for the development of borderline personality disorders in adolescents (review foreign studies)

Abstract

Relevance. According to a study by the University of Manchester, people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) are 13 times more likely to report childhood trauma than people without any mental health problems. An analysis of data from 42 international studies involving more than 5,000 people showed that 71.1% of people diagnosed with a personality disorder reported at least one traumatic experience during childhood.

Intention. To identify the current state of the problem of studying physical, sexual, emotional abuse in childhood as a possible factor in the development of borderline symptoms in adolescence.

Methodology. The object of the study was scientific articles and meta-reviews on the problem presented in the abstract-bibliographic databases MEDLINE, PubMed and eLibrary.ru for the last 5 years.

Results and Discussion. Based on this analysis, there is a lot of evidence that traumatic experience in the early period of development increases the likelihood of developing borderline disorders. Studies on the effects of childhood trauma on adolescent mental health show that it is much more likely associated with BPD than with mood disorders, psychosis, and other personality disorders. The most common adverse experience in people with BPD was physical neglect, followed by emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and last but not least emotional neglect.

Conclusion. The results showed that childhood traumatic experiences may be a predictor of BPD symptoms at a later age. It should be noted that childhood emotional abuse and neglect has the most significant influence on the formation of BPD in adolescents.