Borderline Personality Inventory Research Articles

Erste Ergebnisse zu Reliabilität und Validität der OPD-2 Strukturachse

In 2006, the manual of the Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnostics (OPD) was revised and published in its second edition (OPD-2; Arbeitskreis OPD2006). In particular the axis structure was markedly changed. This study assessed the interrater reliability and validity. Two independent raters judged 139 persons with OPD-2 on the axis structure (a third rater judged a partial sample of 20 persons). In addition, patients were investigated with SCID-Interviews for DSM-IV diagnosis and with the following questionnaires: Brief-Symptom-Checklist (BSI), Inventory of Personality Organisation (IPO), and Borderline Personality Inventory (BPI). Interrater agreement for the axis structure showed sufficient to good results for weighted kappas. The axis structure showed high correlations with the number of DSM-IV diagnoses and the main scales of the BSI, IPO, and BPI. The OPD-2 axis structure is a reliable and valid instrument for the assessment of the crucial clinical dimension of "psychic structure".

Personality Prototypes in Adult Offenders

The authors applied a person-centered approach based on the five-factor model of personality to organize personality data of criminal offenders and examine psychological differences between resulting prototypes. In the first study, 91 offenders were administered the NEO Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), the Antisocial Personality Questionnaire, the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP), the Borderline Personality Inventory, and the White Bear Suppression Inventory. In a second study of 102 offenders, the authors again used the NEO-FFI, IIP, and additional self-report instruments measuring psychopathological symptoms, social interaction problems, and functional and dysfunctional forms of self-consciousness. Cluster analyses revealed five prototypes that replicate previous ones from nonoffender studies. Subsequent analyses demonstrated systematic and psychologically meaningful differences between these groups in their tendencies to behave, think, and feel. These findings are discussed with reference to the advantages of the person-centered approach as a supplement to the predominant variable-centered approach of personality.

Borderline-Persönlichkeitsstörung und Transsexualität

The study addresses the question whether, as often assumed, the symptoms of borderline personality disorders occur more frequently in transsexuals or not. We examined 164 transsexuals. The subjects completed the following questionnaires: The Borderline-Personality Inventory (BPI), the Freiburg Personality Inventory (FPI) and the Questionnaire for Assessment of One's Own Body (FbeK). In 80 % of all the examined transsexuals, there was evidence of symptoms of neither a borderline personality disorder nor of other personality disorders. If borderline symptoms occurred, they were predictable from the variables depressivity, low composure, low sociability and lack of confidence in relation to the external appearance. The data obtained refute the often-assumed increased relationship between borderline personality disorders and transsexuality. It should be assumed that a borderline personality disorder is primarily a psychiatric illness, while transsexuality is a disorder of gender identity in which secondary borderline symptoms may arise in some cases.

Preliminary results of a scale assessing instability of self-esteem.

The objective of the study was to examine the psychometric properties of a new self-report questionnaire, the Instability of Self-Esteem Scale (ISES), designed to be a complement to the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), which measures global self-esteem. A total of 383 nonclinical adolescents participated in an assessment consisting of the ISES, the RSES, and two measures of psychopathology, the Center for Epidemiological StudiesDepression scale (CES-D), and the Borderline Personality Inventory (BPI). The ISES had satisfactory internal consistency and test-retest stability. The ISES and RSES were weakly correlated, this finding suggesting that they measure quite independent constructs. The different pattern of intercorrelations of the ISES and RSES with the CES-D and BPI provides support for the divergent validity of the ISES.

Borderline personality organization and psychopathic traits in nonclinical adolescents: Relationships of identity diffusion, primitive defense mechanisms and reality testing with callousness and impulsivity traits

Although psychotherapeutic observation and empirical data suggest a link between borderline and antisocial personality disorder or traits in adolescents, there is no study on the relationships of borderline personality organization (BPO) and psychopathic traits in adolescents. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship of structural criteria of (BPO) as assessed by the French version of the Borderline Personality Inventory (BPI), with psychopathic traits, as assessed by the French version of the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (LSRP), in a nonclinical sample of 243 adolescents. Significant correlations were found between the BPI scales of identity diffusion, primitive defense mechanisms, impaired reality testing, and psychopathic traits of callousness and impulsivity, suggesting that BPO may contribute to psychopathic traits in nonforensic, nonclinical adolescents.

Relations between dissociative experiences, borderline personality disorder symptoms and cannabis use in adolescents and young adults

The aim of the study was to evaluate the relations between cannabis use, dissociative experiences and borderline personality disorder symptoms. A convenient sample of 212 subjects composed of high school students completed questionnaires assessing cannabis use frequency, the symptoms of dependence, the symptoms of dissociation and borderline personality disorder using the Dissociative Experience Scale (DES) completed by a subscale measuring hyper-personalization/hyper-realization experiences and the Borderline Personality Inventory (BPI), respectively; 114 (54%) were cannabis users. Multiple regression analyses showed that the frequency of cannabis use was negatively predicted by the frequency of spontaneous experiences of absorption and imaginative involvement and positively predicted by the frequency of experiences of absorption and hyper-personalization and hyper-realization linked to cannabis use. Cannabis dependence was predicted only by borderline personality symptoms. Positive dissociative experiences appear to be an important element in the understanding of cannabis use in adolescents and young adults.

Relations entre les expériences dissociatives et la consommation de cannabis chez l'adolescent et le jeune adulte

The aim of the study was to evaluate the relations between cannabis use and dissociative experiences. A convenient sample of 212 subjects composed of high-school and college students completed questionnaires assessing cannabis use frequency, the symptoms of dependence, dissociative and borderline symptoms using the DES (Dissociative Experience Scale) completed by a sub-scale measuring hyper-personalization/ hyper-realization experiences and the BPI (Borderline Personality Inventory), respectively; 114 (54%) were cannabis users. Multiple regression analysis showed that the frequency of cannabis use was predicted by the frequency of experience of absorption and hyper-personalization and hyper-realization linked to cannabis use and that cannabis dependence was predicted only by borderline symptomatology. Dissociative experiences seeking appears to be an important element in the understanding of the reasons for cannabis use in adolescents and young adults.

Relations entre les symptomatologies dépressive et limite et les idées suicidaires dans un échantillon de lycéens

A sample of high-school students (221 boys, 240 girls) completed questionnaires assessing depressive and borderline symptomatology using the French versions of the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale and the Borderline Personality Inventory which evaluate different dimensions of borderline symptomatology. Multiple regression analyses showed that the main predictors of suicidal ideation were depressive symptomatology and impulsivity both in boys and girls. Among girls, the dissociative/psychotic symptomatology was also an independent predictor of suicidal ideation. The other dimensions of borderline symptomatology were not significant independent predictors of suicidal ideas.

Relations entre les symptomatologies anxieuse, dépressive et limite et la consommation et la dépendance au cannabis chez l’adolescent et le jeune adulte

The aims of this paper is to study the relations between anxious, depressive and borderline symptomatology and cannabis use and dependence in adolescents and young adults. A convenient sample of 212 subjects composed of high-school and college students from Toulouse, France (85 boys, 127 girls; mean age=18.3 1.8 Years) completed questionnaires assessing the patterns of cannabis use, age of first use, the symptoms of dependence using a questionnaire derived from the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, and the anxious, depressive and borderline symptomatology using the STAI-YA (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory; Spielberger et al., 1970), the CES-D (Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale; Radloff, 1977) and the BPI (Borderline Personality Inventory; Leichsenring, 1999), respectively; 54% of subjects reported having used cannabis once during the last 6 Months (45.3% of girls and 66.6% of boys, p=0.002). Frequency of use was higher in boys: eg, 61% of boys used cannabis at least almost daily versus 31% of girls (p<0.00001). Age of first use was lower in boys than in girls (14.6 2.6 versus 15.7 2.3, t=- 2.46, p=0.02). Length of use was higher in boys than in girls (3.9 2.2 versus 3 1.6, t=2.2, p=0.03). Among users, near of 64% of boys and 36% of girls met the criteria for cannabis dependence (p=0.003). BPI, CES-D and STAI-YA scores were compared between non-users and users and between non-dependent and dependent users: the only significant differences were that BPI scores were higher in users versus non-users and in dependent users versus non-dependent users; CES-D and STAI-YA scores did not distinguished users from non-users and dependent users from non-dependent users. BPI and CES-D scores were correlated with the length of cannabis use (Pearson r=0.19 and r=0.19, respectively, p<0.05). In a multiple regression analysis predicting the frequency of cannabis use, we entered age, sex, CES-D, STAI-YA and BPI scores. This model accounted for 23% of the variance of the frequency of use (F5,206=14.4, p<0.0001). Sex, age, and BPI scores were significant predictors (b=- 0.31, t=- 5.03, p<0.0001; b=0.29, t=4.87, p<0.0001, b=0.27, t=3.80, p<0.0001, respectively). CES-D scores were a nearly significant predictor (b=- 0.17, t=- 1.96, p=0.051). STAI-YA scores were not a significant predictor (b=0.11, t=1.29, p=0.20). In a multiple regression analysis predicting the dependence scores, we entered age, sex, frequency of use, CES-D, STAI-YA and BPI scores. This model accounted for 41% of the variance of the dependence score (F6,107=12.6, p=0.005). Frequency of use and BPI scores were significant predictors (b=0.51, t=6.12, p<0.0001; b=0.26, t=2.86, p=0.005, respectively). Age, sex, CES-D and STAI-YA scores were not significant predictors (b=- 1.04, t=- 1.32, p=0.19; b=0.008, t=0.09, p=0.92; b=0.16, t=1.53, p=0.12; b=- 0.14, t=- 1.46, p=0.15, respectively). The frequency of use and dependence observed in this study confirm the results obtained in epidemiological studies of use and dependence in France. The high frequency of daily or almost daily users suggests that a high proportion of subjects were "high" while completing the questionnaires. This is a confounding variable now inevitable in epidemiological studies of cannabis use given the high proportion of daily users. The consequence may be that responses to mood questionnaire express both the acute effect of cannabis consumption and the chronic effect that might be different: the acute euphoriant effect of cannabis may mask a chronic depressive symptomatology induced by chronic cannabis consumption. The antidepressant and anti-anxiety acute effect of cannabis may explain that CES-D and STAI-YA scores did not distinguished users from non-users and dependent users from non-dependent users. The correlation between length of use and CES-D scores may reveal the depressant chronic effect of long-term use. The correlation between length of use and BPI scores suggest that long-term cannabis use induces an increase in borderline symptomatology. Results of the regression analyses suggest that the borderline symptomatology is highly linked to frequency of use and cannabis dependence. This may be due to the increase in borderline symptomatology induced by both acute and chronic effects of cannabis. The relation between cannabis use and dependence on one hand and anxious and depressive symptomatology on the other hand may have been obscured by the acute mood effect of cannabis consumption. Borderline symptomatology appeared to be highly linked to cannabis use and dependence in adolescents and young adults. Borderline personality disorder in adolescents is not the only risk factor for cannabis use and dependence in adolescents: borderline symptomatology even at a subclinical level seems to be a higher risk factor than anxious or depressive symptomatology. The frequency of daily or almost daily users may be a confounding variable for the study of relations between anxiety and depressive disorders in adolescents and young adults.

Factor Structure of the Borderline Personality Inventory in Adolescents

Summary: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a frequent disorder in in- and outpatient settings. However, empirical studies suggest that BPD lacks construct validity in adolescents. Problems with validity may be linked to the fact that borderline symptoms can occur in the course of normal adolescence. This study examined the factor structure of borderline symptomatology in a community-based sample of 616 adolescents (mean age = 16.9±1.5). Borderline symptomatology was assessed by the Borderline Personality Inventory (BPI), a self-report instrument for which reliability and validity have been demonstrated. An exploratory factorial analysis, which was performed on the first half of the sample, extracted six factors. They were the dissociative/psychotic symptoms factor, the substance use factor, the interpersonal instability factor, the affectivity/identity disturbances factor, the narcissistic features factor, and the impulsivity factor. This six- factor model was tested using a confirmatory factorial analysis on the second half of the sample and on the whole sample. It provided an adequate fit with the data. This factor structure captured central components of borderline symptomatology. As it differs from the one obtained in the study of the BPI in adults, these components may be specific to adolescents and reflect developmental issues rather than psychopathology.

Development and First Results of the Borderline Personality Inventory: A Self-Report Instrument for Assessing Borderline Personality Organization

This article reports the development of a short 53-item true-false self-report instrument, the Borderline Personality Inventory (BPI). The BPI is based on Kernberg's (1984) concept of borderline personality organization. However, the diagnostic criteria are compatible with both the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) and Gunderson's (Gunderson & Kolb, 1978) concept of borderline personality disorder (BPD). The BPI contains scales for assessing identity diffusion, primitive defense mechanisms, and reality testing. Another scale refers to the fear of closeness. The construction of the scales is based on the results of a factor analysis. As a result of several studies, a cutoff score is proposed to make the diagnosis of a BPD. Thus, the BPI combines dimensional and categorical models of BPD. The BPI was tested in several studies. According to the results, internal consistency and retest reliability are satisfactory (Cronbach's α = .68-.91, rtt = .73-.89). Results for sensitivity are .85 to .89, and results for specificity .78 to .89. The BPI identifies borderline patients in high agreement with Kernberg's criteria of borderline personality organization, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed., rev.; American Psychiatric Association, 1987) criteria of BPD and Gunderson's criteria of BPD. The BPI is recommended as a screening instrument for borderline personality organization and BPD and for dimensional research of borderline features in Axis I and Axis II disorders.