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Physical and sexual abuse histories among children with borderline personality disorder
S J Goldman1, E J D'Angelo, D R DeMaso
1Children's Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA 02115.
Objective:
The purpose of the study was to determine whether a history of physical or sexual abuse is more common in children with borderline personality disorder than in other children evaluated in the same outpatient psychiatric clinic.
Method:
The authors contrasted rates of abuse in 44 children diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and in 100 comparison children.
Results:
The borderline personality disorder group had a significantly greater prevalence of physical and combined physical/sexual abuse. Sexual abuse rates alone did not differ significantly between groups.
Conclusions:
The finding of greater abuse in the group with borderline personality disorder supports the hypothesis that a history of trauma is associated with the disorder.