Abstract
Prodromal symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD) often arise in young age, especially in early adolescence. Several factors for early BPD onset have been identified to consent a precocious detection of high-risk population.The present study is aimed: (1) to identify what psychopathological, traumatic, and functional factors are significantly associated to early onset in a sample of BPD patients and (2) to evaluate what factors are associated to the time interval between symptoms onset and first psychiatric visit (Δ age).Participants were enrolled from BPD outpatients attending the Center for Personality Disorder of the University of Turin, Italy. Patients were tested with assessment instruments for specific BPD symptoms, exposure to traumatic experiences, global functioning, and perception of quality of life. All variables that were found significant at a bivariate analysis were included in two multiple regressions (stepwise backward), with the age of onset and the Δ age as dependent variables. Significance level was P ≤ 0.05.Seventy patients were included in the study (68 completers). Factors that were found related to age of onset were: CTQ-SF emotional abuse (P = 0.001); ACE-IQ bully victimization (P = 0.005), alcohol/drug abuser in the household (P = 0.001), and physical neglect (P = 0.006); BIS non-planning impulsivity (P = 0.005); and SOFAS score (P = 0.033). Factors that were found related to Δ age were: ACE-IQ total score (P = 0.001) and BIS total score (P = 0.001).Earlier onset of BPD is mainly associated to traumatic events, including abuse, neglect, dysfunction in household environment, and bullying. Earlier onset is also related to a worse social functioning. Among BPD symptoms only non-planning impulsivity was found associated to early onset. A higher number of traumatic events and worse impulsive dyscontrol induce a significant reduction of the time interval between onset and first psychiatric observation.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
