Borderline Personality Disorder Traits Research Articles

A study of risky sexual behavior, beliefs about sexual behavior, and sexual self-efficacy in adolescent inpatients with and without borderline personality disorder.

Risky sexual behavior (RSB) during adolescence increases risk for sexually transmitted diseases and teenage pregnancy. Youth with psychiatric diagnoses are more likely to engage in RSB, and borderline personality disorder (BPD) in adolescence may be particularly relevant to RSB. It is not yet clear whether adolescents with BPD engage in higher levels of RSB than adolescents with other psychiatric diagnoses. The present study examined RSB and correlates of RSB among adolescent inpatient females with and without BPD. One hundred twenty-three female adolescent inpatients (Mage = 15.15, 71.5% Caucasian, 40.6% BPD) completed an interview to assess BPD diagnosis and measures of BPD traits, RSB, attitudes and perceived norms related to RSB, and sexual self-efficacy. Results indicated no differences in RSB based on BPD diagnosis. However, the BPD group evidenced significantly lower self-efficacy to refuse sex, and riskier attitudes and perceived peer norms about sexual behavior than inpatient controls. When examined dimensionally using borderline traits and controlling for level of psychopathology, borderline traits were significantly related to lower self-efficacy to refuse sex. Results suggest that adolescent girls with BPD do not engage in higher levels of RSB than inpatient psychiatric controls; however, riskier attitudes and norms related to RSB, and particularly lower self-efficacy to refuse sex, may influence adolescent girls with BPD or BPD traits to engage in higher levels of RSB later in life and therefore present important preventative treatment targets. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

How do I want to feel? The link between emotion goals and difficulties in emotion regulation in borderline personality disorder.

Appropriate contextualized emotion goals (i.e., desired emotional endpoints that facilitate goal attainment) are fundamental to emotion regulation, as they may determine the direction of regulation efforts. Given that difficulties in emotion regulation are prevalent in borderline personality disorder (BPD), we explored whether BPD traits (Study 1) and BPD diagnosis (Study 2) presented specific contextualized emotion goals, and whether these emotion goals may be linked to difficulties in emotion regulation. In Study 1, 358 individuals were recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk and assessed on the presence of borderline traits, emotion regulation ability, and general and contextualized emotion goals. In Study 2, these measures were employed in a sample of 35 people with BPD and 35 matched controls who were also assessed on their current mood state and screened for Axis I and II disorders of the DSM-IV. Study 1 showed that emotion dysregulation was positively predicted by borderline traits and contextualized emotion goals that impair goal attainment (i.e., greater preference for anger for collaboration and happiness for confrontation). Findings of Study 2 also showed that a higher preference for happiness for confrontation was linked to higher emotion dysregulation in both individuals with BPD and controls. Furthermore, individuals with BPD reported a lower preference for happiness for collaboration than controls. These results support the importance of looking at emotion goals and its link with emotion dysregulation. Interventions targeting maladaptive contextualized goals may represent an important therapeutic window to enhance emotion regulation. Clinical implications BPD individuals' emotion regulation is linked to maladaptive emotion goals. Helping people at risk to manipulate their emotion goals to be more context sensitive may enhance well-being and serve as a therapeutic tool in practice. Limitations The present research only considered the context of collaboration and confrontation, but other contexts more relevant for individuals with BPD (i.e., self-harm situations) might provide valuable information about their difficulties in emotion regulation. To study contextualized emotion goals in clinical populations, longitudinal rather than cross-sectional designs should be considered.

Symptoms of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa have differential relationships to borderline personality disorder symptoms

ABSTRACT Eating disorders (EDs) and borderline personality disorder (BPD) are highly comorbid. BPD is characterized by the presence of at least five of nine symptoms. Given the number/variety of emotional and interpersonal symptoms that comprise BPD, some BPD traits may relate to EDs, whereas others may not be associated. This study examined relationships between BPD symptoms and symptoms of bulimia nervosa (BN) and anorexia nervosa (AN), including whether the nine BPD symptoms differentially relate to BN versus AN. Participants were 208 adolescent psychiatric inpatients. BPD symptoms, measured via structured interview, correlated more strongly with self-reported BN than AN symptoms. BN and AN symptoms were greater among individuals who endorsed unstable relationships, affective instability, emptiness, identity disturbance, inappropriate anger, dissociation/paranoia, and suicidal behavior. BN, but not AN symptoms, were higher when impulsivity was endorsed. Avoiding abandonment was neither related to BN nor AN. Affective instability, impulsivity, and anger had substantially larger associations with BN compared to AN, while identity disturbance was more strongly related to AN than BN. Findings provide useful information for targeting specific BPD symptoms to help prevent and reduce co-occurring EDs and BPD and the negative consequences associated with this comorbidity.

Effects of brief daily mindfulness practice on affective outcomes and correlates in a high BPD trait sample

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a psychological disorder characterized by dysregulation across multiple domains. While selected mindfulness-based interventions are effective in addressing symptoms of BPD, less is known regarding the effects of engaging in brief mindfulness practices on affective correlates of BPD. The present study investigated the effects of engaging in brief, daily mindfulness practice in a sample of young adults with elevated BPD symptoms. Ninety-two participants were recruited and randomly assigned to 2 weeks of daily mindfulness meditation or relaxation practice (active control), or to a no-practice control condition. Participants completed measures assessing depression, anxiety, stress, shame, difficulties with emotion regulation, trait mindfulness, and self-compassion before and after the practice period. Compared to the no-practice control condition, mindfulness practice resulted in significant improvements in trait mindfulness and self-compassion, whereas relaxation practice led to reductions in emotion regulation difficulties. No significant differences were found on any of the other outcomes between the mindfulness and relaxation conditions. The findings suggest that while both mindfulness and relaxation-based practices are effective in targeting selected transdiagnostic processes associated with BPD, more intensive interventions may be required for the practices to induce changes at the level of psychological symptoms.

Borderline personality disorder traits and affect reactivity to positive affect induction followed by a stressor

Background and objectivesAffective hyperreactivity is a core feature of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), yet little is known about reactivity of positive affect (PA). Objectives were to explore the relationship between BPD traits and affect reactivity in response to a personalized PA-induction and a subsequent stressor. Patient status (seeking outpatient treatment for personality-related problems; yes/no), depressive symptoms, and age were examined as alternative predictors of affect reactivity. MethodsOne hundred and eight females (35 patients) reported on their BPD and depressive symptoms. They completed the Best Possible Self-exercise and a modified Trier Social Stress Task. Trajectories of high and low arousal PA (HAP and LAP) and negative affect (NA) were analyzed with mixed regression modelling. ResultsPatient status (for HAP) and depressive symptoms (for LAP and NA) predicted affect reactivity better than BPD traits. Patients showed a weaker HAP increase after PA-induction, and a similar HAP decrease after the stressor, compared to non-patients. Higher depressive symptoms predicted stronger improvement of LAP and NA after PA-induction, and less pronounced deterioration of LAP and NA after the stressor, relative to baseline. LimitationsThe sample was a convenience sample amplified with outpatients. Future research should (1) use clinical groups, (2) randomize to neutral vs. PA-induction, and (3) continue to differentiate between HAP and LAP. ConclusionsOur results do not support models postulating BPD-specific affective hyperreactivity. HAP and LAP have different trajectories, depending on the degree of psychopathology. The resilience-enhancing potential of a PA-focus in psychotherapy needs further research.

Borderline Personality Features in Inpatients with Bipolar Disorder: Impact on Course and Machine Learning Model Use to Predict Rapid Readmission.

Earlier research indicated that nearly 20% of patients diagnosed with either bipolar disorder (BD) or borderline personality disorder (BPD) also met criteria for the other diagnosis. Yet limited data are available concerning the potential impact of co-occurring BPD and/or BPD features on the course or outcome in patients with BD. Therefore, this study examined this comorbidity utilizing the standardized Borderline Personality Questionnaire (BPQ). This study involved 714 adult patients with a primary diagnosis of BD per DSM-IV criteria who were admitted to the psychiatric unit at an academic hospital in Houston, TX between July 2013 and July 2018. All patients completed the BPQ within 72 hours of admission. Statistical analysis was used to detect correlations between severity of BD, length of stay (LOS), and scores on the BPQ. A machine learning model was constructed to predict the parameters affecting patients' readmission rates within 30 days. Analysis revealed that the severity of certain BPD traits at baseline was associated with mood state and outcome measured by LOS. Inpatients with BD who were admitted during acute depressive episodes had significantly higher mean scores on 7 of the 9 BPQ subscales (P<0.05) compared with those admitted during acute manic episodes. Inpatients with BD with greater BPQ scores on 4 of the 9 BPQ subscales had significantly shorter LOS than those with lower BPQ scores (P<0.05). The machine learning model identified 6 variables as predictors for likelihood of 30-day readmission with a high sensitivity (83%), specificity (77%), and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 86%. Although preliminary, these results suggest that inpatients with BD who have higher levels of BPD features were more likely to have depressive rather than manic symptoms, fewer psychotic symptoms, and a shorter LOS. Moreover, machine learning models may be particularly valuable in identifying patients with BD who are at the highest risk for adverse consequences including rapid readmission.

Panic-Focused Reflective Functioning and Comorbid Borderline Traits as Predictors of Change in Quality of Object Relations in Panic Disorder Treatments.

To investigate whether (a) baseline levels of panic-specific reflection function (PSRF; i.e. patients' capacity to reflect on their panic symptoms) and improvement in this capacity over treatment; (b) baseline borderline personality disorder (BPD) traits and pre-post treatment improvement in BPD traits predict change in patients' quality of object relations. A subsample of 102 patients diagnosed with panic disorder from a larger randomized controlled trial received either Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy or Panic-Focused Psychodynamic Psychotherapy. We investigated whether baseline levels and change in both PSRF and BPD traits (as measured by the SCID-II) predicted pre-post change in quality of object relations (QOR), while controlling for pre-post treatment change in panic symptoms assessed by the Panic Disorder Severity Scale. In both treatments, higher baseline levels of PSRF and lower levels of BPD traits, as well as pre-post decrease in BPD traits, predicted improvement in QOR when controlling for symptomatic change. The findings suggest that reduction in comorbid BPD traits can facilitate improvement in patients' quality of object relations even in brief symptom-focused psychotherapies. Additionally, patients with higher baseline levels of symptom-focused reflective function and lower BPD traits are more likely to demonstrate interpersonal change over the course of psychotherapy for panic disorder. Finally, our study highlights the importance of examining therapeutic change beyond reduction in symptoms, particularly in domains of interpersonal functioning.

Dependency, mood instability, and inconsequence traits for discriminating borderline personality disorder

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is one of the most widely studied personality disorders (PDs). It recurrently shows traits of emotional lability, anxiety, separation insecurity, depressiveness, impulsiveness, risk exposure, and hostility, mainly affecting the domains of negative affectivity and antagonism. To investigate the most discriminant dimensions of the Dimensional Clinical Personality Inventory (Inventário Dimensional Clínico da Personalidade 2 [IDCP-2]) to distinguish people diagnosed with BPD from people without this diagnosis. A total of 305 participants were included in this study: psychiatric outpatients diagnosed with BPD (n = 30), psychiatric outpatients diagnosed with other PDs (n = 75), and a community sample (n = 200). BPD traits were assessed using the dependency, mood instability, and inconsequence dimensions of the IDCP-2. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) comparisons indicated highest mean measures in the BPD group, and mood instability factors were the most discriminant ones when considering all groups. Applying the multiple regression analysis, we found an adjusted r 2 = 0.50, and hopelessness was the most predictive measure (β = 0.32; t = 6.19; p < 0.001). We found discriminatory capacity for factors of all dimensions, although at different levels, and more consistent results to discriminate the BPD group from the community sample.

Disrupted emotional neural circuitry in adolescents with borderline personality traits

Disruptions in fronto-limbic circuitry have been reported in adults with borderline personality disorder (BPD), yet it is unknown whether dynamic functional neurophysiology is similarly altered in adolescents with high levels of BPD traits. Using magnetoencephalography (MEG) and an implicit perception of emotional faces task, this study investigated task-dependent functional connectivity of eight a priori regions of interest implicated in emotional processing, in 16 females with and without BPD traits. An underconnected network of areas was observed in the BPD-trait group during implicit angry face perception – an effect absent for happy faces. This hyposynchronous fronto-limbic circuit included connections among bilateral amygdalae and bilateral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and additional regions implicated in emotion processing. These preliminary, novel results extend existing findings in adults with a diagnosis of BPD, and suggest that disrupted neurophysiological circuitry underlies maladaptive perception of threatening emotional expressions in others, manifests around a key milestone in neurodevelopement, and might contribute to the emotional dysregulation and difficulties with interpersonal relationships commonly found in adolescents high in BPD traits.

Influence of betrayal trauma on borderline personality disorder traits

ABSTRACTRecent research has linked traumatic experiences with a high degree of betrayal with symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Much of this research has operationalized BPD in terms of diagnostic symptoms, which contrasts with recent approaches to understanding personality disorders (PDs) in terms of maladaptive personality traits. In this study we examine the influence of traumatic experiences with varying levels of betrayal on BPD assessed via maladaptive personality traits in a sample of college students (N = 915) using a Bayesian approach to structural equation modeling. Results suggest that trauma with a high degree of betrayal (high betrayal trauma) was the only credible predictor of BPD traits when other traumatic experiences (medium and low betrayal trauma) were taken into account, and that this effect did not vary across sex. Future research directions and clinical implications are also discussed.

Parental Risk for Suicide and Attachment Patterns Among Adolescents With Borderline Personality Disorder. A Clinical-Based Study.

Introduction: Experiencing adverse life events and early disturbed patterns of interaction are crucial determinants for the development of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Parental suicidal attempts can be considered a major adverse life event and a potentially traumatic experience. The aim of this study was to examine differences in parental suicidal attempts among a BPD adolescent population vs. a matched control group. We also aimed to understand if attachment styles and the number of parental suicidal attempts predicted the severity of borderline symptomatology.Methods: Our study (EURNET BPD) comprised 85 BPD adolescents and 85 matched controls. Axis II disorders were investigated using the French version of SIDP-IV. Parental suicidal behaviors were assessed during a face-to-face interview with the adolescent. Attachment style was assessed with the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ).Results: Parents of BPD adolescents made more suicidal attempts than controls (34 vs. 11%; chi2 = 13.8, p < 0.001). The linear regression showed that the best model explaining the severity of borderline symptomatology (R2 adjusted = 0.15, F = 4.65, p < 0.001) was a model including the number of suicidal attempts realized by the parent (standardized beta = 0.28, p = 0.009) and the preoccupied attachment style of the adolescents toward their parents (standardized beta = 0.21, p = 0.043).Conclusion: Our results highlight the usefulness of assessing parental suicidal behavior when interviewing patients with BPD traits. This could be useful in clinical practice as an early clue to identify patients with potentially severe clinical profiles and parents needing a specific support. Further research is needed to confirm our findings.

Personality disorder comorbidity and rehospitalization rates in bipolar disorder: A cohort study

There is limited understanding of the symptomatic development of bipolar disorder from childhood to early adulthood.We assessed whether borderline personality disorder traits, ADHD, and emotional, behavioural and social difficulties during childhood were associated with hypomania assessed in young adulthood.We used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), to examine associations between measures of childhood psychopathology and lifetime hypomanic features assessed at age 22–23 years using the Hypomania Checklist-32 (HCL-32; n = 3372). We also conducted a factor analysis of the HCL to identify latent constructs underlying hypomania, and the extent to which childhood psychopathology was associated with these.We identified two factors of the HCL corresponding to energy/mood and risk-taking/irritability. There was evidence of association between childhood borderline personality disorder traits and both hypomania factors, with evidence that the association was stronger with the risk-taking/irritability factor. All individual borderline traits, with the exception of fear of abandonment, were associated with hypomania.There was also evidence of association between most other measures of childhood psychopathology (ADHD, hyperactivity, conduct problems, peer relationship problems and reduced prosocial behaviour) and the risk-taking/irritability factor, but much less consistent evidence of association with the energy/mood factor.The HCL cannot diagnose bipolar disorder and may be subject to reporting bias.A broad range of childhood psychopathologies may represent early markers of risk for hypomania. Further studies are required to understand the mechanisms underlying these associations, and to inform earlier detection of bipolar disorder.

Genetic risk for bipolar disorder and psychopathology from childhood to early adulthood.

Studying the phenotypic manifestations of increased genetic liability for Bipolar Disorder (BD) can increase understanding of this disorder. We assessed whether genetic risk for BD was associated with childhood psychopathology and features of hypomania in young adulthood within a large population-based birth cohort. We used data from the second Psychiatric Genetics Consortium Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) for Bipolar Disorder to construct a polygenic risk score (PRS) for each individual in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Linear and logistic regression models were used to assess associations between the BD-PRS and emotional/behavioural difficulties, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD) traits in childhood, as well as hypomania in early adulthood (sample sizes from 2654 to 6111). The BD-PRS was not associated with total hypomania score, but was weakly associated with a binary measure of hypomania (OR = 1.13, 95%CI 0.98,1.32; p = 0.097), and particularly at higher hypomania symptom thresholds (strongest evidence OR = 1.33, 95%CI 1.07, 1.65; p = 0.01). The BD-PRS was also associated with ADHD (OR = 1.31, 95%CI 1.10, 1.57; p = 0.018), but not with other childhood psychopathology. The PRS only captures common genetic variation and currently explains a relatively small proportion of the variance for BD. The BD-PRS was associated with ADHD in childhood, and weakly with adult hypomania, but not with other psychopathology examined. Our findings suggest that genetic risk for BD does not appear to manifest in childhood to the same extent as schizophrenia genetic risk has been reported to do.

Genetically Informative Mediation Modeling Applied to Stressors and Personality-Disorder Traits in Etiology of Alcohol Use Disorder.

A statistical mediation model was developed within a twin design to investigate the etiology of alcohol use disorder (AUD). Unlike conventional statistical mediation models, this biometric mediation model can detect unobserved confounding. Using a sample of 1410 pairs of Norwegian twins, we investigated specific hypotheses that DSM-IV personality-disorder (PD) traits mediate effects of childhood stressful life events (SLEs) on AUD, and that adulthood SLEs mediate effects of PDs on AUD. Models including borderline PD traits indicated unobserved confounding in phenotypic path coefficients, whereas models including antisocial and impulsive traits did not. More than half of the observed effects of childhood SLEs on adulthood AUD were mediated by adulthood antisocial and impulsive traits. Effects of PD traits on AUD 5‒10years later were direct rather than mediated by adulthood SLEs. The results and the general approach contribute to triangulation of developmental origins for complex behavioral disorders.

Ayahuasca improves emotion dysregulation in a community sample and in individuals with borderline-like traits.

Research suggests that mindfulness-based interventions may improve mindfulness-related capacities (e.g., decentering, non-judging, and non-reacting) and emotion regulation. Previously, our group reported that ayahuasca could be a potential analogue of mindfulness practice. The main aim of the current study was to examine the effects of ayahuasca on emotional regulation and mindfulness-related capacities. Secondarily, we sought to explore the effects of ayahuasca on individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) traits. This is an observational study of 45 volunteers who participated in an ayahuasca session. The volunteers completed various self-report instruments designed to measure emotional dysregulation (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS)) and mindfulness traits (Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ)-Short Form and Experiences Questionnaire (EQ)) prior to and 24h after the ayahuasca session. The volunteers were divided into two subgroups based on their score on the McLean Screening Instrument for BPD (MSI-BPD). Twelve participants were grouped into the BPD-like traits subgroup while the rest of them were included in the non-BPD-like subgroup. We performed within-subjects and between-group analyses. Overall, the participants showed significant improvements on the FFMQ subscales observing, acting with awareness, non-judging, and non-reacting and also significantly improved on decentering (EQ scale) and on the DERS subscales emotional non-acceptance, emotional interference, and lack of control. The BPD-like subgroup also showed significant improvements on the DERS subscales emotional interference and lack of control but not in mindfulness capacities. These findings suggest a potential therapeutic effect for ayahuasca in emotion regulation and mindfulness capacities (including decentering, acceptance, awareness, and sensitivity to meditation practice). Based on these results, we believe that ayahuasca therapy could be of value in clinical populations, such as individuals with BPD, affected by emotion dysregulation.

The Sense of Commitment in Individuals With Borderline Personality Traits in a Non-clinical Population.

This is the first study to test the hypothesis that individuals' sense of commitment in joint activities and relationships may be influenced by personality traits characteristic of borderline personality disorder (BPD). This study consisted of 3 online experiments implemented via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Participants were presented with videos (Experiment 1) or vignettes (Experiments 2, 3) describing situations in which everyday commitments were violated. Participants then reported their perceptions, interpretations, and affective and behavioral responses to those situations. Participants' BPD traits (BPDt) were assessed using the short form of the Five-Factor Borderline Inventory on the basis of which they were divided into two groups: High and Low BPDt. The results revealed that participants with High BPD traits were less optimistic about others acting in accordance with an implicit sense of commitment (Experiment 1), although there was no difference between groups when the commitment was explicitly stated (Experiment 3). Participants in the High BPDt group also reported heightened emotional responses (Experiments 1–3) and less adaptive behavioral responses (Experiments 1, 3) to perceived or anticipated violations of commitment. Our findings suggest that high levels of BPD traits may give rise to a difficulty in adapting one's social expectations and behavior in light of interpersonal commitments and in a manner that is calibrated to the social norms in the community. Future research should investigate to what extent a disturbed sense of commitment may contribute to the difficulties in interpersonal functioning experienced by many individuals with a clinical diagnosis of BPD.

Borderline personality disorder traits and suicide risk: The mediating role of insomnia and nightmares

Background: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is associated with high rates of suicide risk and problems related to sleep, including insomnia and nightmares. The purpose of the current study was to assess the potential indirect effect of BPD traits on suicide risk through both/either insomnia and nightmares. Methods: Participants (N = 281) were recruited via Amazon's Mechanical Turk to complete the study remotely online. Participants completed measures of BPD traits and symptoms, suicide risk (history of suicidal thoughts and behaviors), insomnia symptoms, and distress and impairment related to nightmares. Results: BPD traits and symptoms were moderately to highly correlated to suicide risk, insomnia, and nightmares. In parallel mediation models, BPD traits had a significant indirect effect on suicide risk through insomnia symptoms but not nightmares. Limitations: The current study assessed problems within the general population and not in a clinical sample. Second, the study relied solely on self-report measures. Futures studies would benefit from investigating these relations in clinical samples utilizing observer-report and interview methods. Conclusions: BPD traits appear to relate to increased risk for suicide through the relation with sleep concerns, particularly insomnia symptoms. Therefore, assessing and treating sleep problems within individuals with BPD may result in a lower risk for suicide.

Relationship between attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms and problem gambling: A mediation analysis of influential factors among 7,403 individuals from the UK.

Background and aimsOur goal was to examine the association between attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and gambling problems, and to identify potential mediating factors of this association.MethodsThis study used cross-sectional, community-based data from 7,403 people aged ≥16 years who participated in the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2007. ADHD symptoms were assessed using the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) Screener. Problem gambling was assessed using a questionnaire based on the 10 DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for pathological gambling. Respondents were classified as having no problem, at-risk, or problem gambling. Logistic regression and mediation analyses were conducted to analyze the association between ADHD symptoms (i.e., ASRS score ≥14) and problem gambling and the role of several variables in this association.ResultsThe prevalence of at-risk (5.3% vs. 2.4%) and problem gambling (2.4% vs. 0.6%) was higher in individuals with ADHD symptoms than in those without ADHD symptoms. ADHD symptoms were significantly associated with both at-risk (OR = 2.15; 95% CI = 1.22–3.79) and problem gambling (OR = 3.57; 95% CI = 1.53–8.31) when adjusted for age, sex, and ethnicity. Common mental disorders (CMDs; i.e., depression and anxiety disorders) (mediated percentage = 22.4%), borderline personality disorder (BPD) traits (22.1%), stressful life events (13.2%), stress at work or home (12.6%), alcohol dependence (11.8%), and impulsivity (11.2%) were significant mediators in the ADHD–gambling association.Discussion and conclusionsOverall, ADHD symptoms were positively associated with problem gambling. CMDs, BPD traits, and stressful life events were important mediators in this relationship.

Twigs on the same branch? Identifying personality profiles in police officers using psychopathic personality traits

Recent high-profile incidents reignited the conversation about psychopathic traits in police officers. Psychopathy is characterized by multiple variants: primary and secondary psychopathy. There is limited research examining psychopathy in populations that may exhibit adaptive psychopathic traits. This study used model-based cluster analyses of high psychopathy scorers to investigate psychopathic subtypes in an urban police sample. Relative to the primary subtype, the secondary group displayed higher levels of Self-Centered Impulsivity, trait anxiety, covert narcissism, borderline personality disorder traits, substance use, psychiatric treatment, and aggression. These findings support the concept of successful psychopathy and the existence of psychopathy profiles in police officers, providing a useful look at how successful psychopathy may manifest as well as implications for the criminal justice system and police departments.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms and disordered eating in the English general population.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and eating problems often coexist, but many of the previous studies have not taken into account key variables which may be important in this association. Thus, the goal of this study was to assess the association between ADHD symptoms and disordered eating, while taking into account of a variety of factors. This study used cross-sectional, nationally representative data from 7,403 people aged ≥16 years from England who participated in the 2007 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS). ADHD symptoms were assessed with the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) Screener. Questions from the five-item SCOFF screening instrument were used to identify possible ED. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted. The prevalence of possible eating disorder (ED) was much higher among those with ADHD symptoms (ASRS score ≥14) compared to those without ADHD symptoms (19.2 vs. 5.7%). ADHD symptoms were associated with possible ED (odds ratio [OR] = 3.48; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.56-4.72) after adjustment for age, sex, and ethnicity. After further adjustment for alcohol dependence, drug use, intelligence quotient, stressful life events, perceived stress, impulsivity, depression, anxiety disorder, and borderline personality disorder (BPD) traits, the OR was attenuated to 1.32 (95% CI = 0.82-2.13). Anxiety and BPD were the factors that led to the largest degree of attenuation. A high prevalence of disordered eating in individuals with ADHD was observed. Factors such as co-existing anxiety and BPD traits may be particularly important in this association. Future research should focus on the factors involved in the association between ADHD symptoms and disordered eating behavior.