Investigation of the effects of childhood sexual abuse on disease severity and cognitive functions in borderline personality disorder

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) on decision-making, facial emotion recognition, and clinical presentation of borderline personality disorder (BPD). In addition, it was examined whether certain cognitive impairments could be worsened by the presence of CSA. Method: Eighteen sexually abused BPD patients, 18 patients with BPD without CSA, and 35 healthy controls were included in the study. The Borderline Personality Inventory (BPI) and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) were administered to BPD patients. The Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), which is used to examine decision-making and emotional recognition, was administered to the patients and healthy controls. Results: In the emotion recognition test, the mean percentages of correct fear recognition were 33.5±14.6 for patients with CSA, 25.89±9.8 for patients without CSA, 26.8±7.4 for healthy controls. The mean percentage of correct fear recognition was higher in patients with CSA than in the other groups. There was no difference in the correct recognition of other emotions between the groups. The probability of risking a 10% chance of winning in patients with/without CSA and healthy controls averaged were 0.71±0.26, 0.33±0.28, and 0.25±0.20 respectively. The average risk-taking propability in patients with CSA was significantly higher than in other groups. A significant correlation was identified between BPI and CTQ scores. Conclusion: The present study supports the fact that CSA has significant effects on the clinical presentation and neurocognitive profiles of BPD.