Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 30, 2026

Measuring Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) Activity in Toddlers - Resting and Developmental Challenges
Published on: February 25, 2016
Temperament, childhood environment and psychopathology as risk factors for avoidant and borderline personality
Peter R Joyce1, Janice M McKenzie, Suzanne E Luty
1Department of Psychological Medicine, Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, New Zealand. peter.joyce@chmeds.ac.nz
Objective:
To evaluate childhood experiences (neglect and abuse), temperament and childhood and adolescent psychopathology as risk factors for avoidant and borderline personality disorders in depressed outpatients.
Method:
One hundred and eighty depressed outpatients were evaluated for personality disorders. Risk factors of childhood abuse, parental care, temperament, conduct disorder symptoms, childhood and adolescent anxiety disorders, depressive episodes, hypomania and alcohol and drug dependence were obtained by questionnaires and interviews.
Results:
Avoidant personality disorder can be conceptualized as arising from a combination of high harm avoidance (shy, anxious), childhood and adolescent anxiety disorders and parental neglect. Borderline personality disorder can be formulated as arising from a combination of childhood abuse and/or neglect, a borderline temperament (high novelty seeking and high harm avoidance), and childhood and adolescent depression, hypomania, conduct disorder and alcohol and drug dependence.
Conclusions:
Combinations of risk factors from the three domains of temperament, childhood experiences and childhood and adolescent psychopathology make major contributions to the development of avoidant and borderline personality disorders.
Related Concept Videos
Borderline Personality Disorder
Genetic and Environmental Contributions
Borderline Personality...
Socioemotional Development during Infancy
Primary Temperament Types
Stella Chess...
Personality Disorders: Narcissistic and Avoidant
Characteristics of Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Narcissistic individuals exhibit an inflated sense of self-importance and an excessive need for admiration. They are often...
Antisocial Personality Disorder
Behavioral Characteristics and...
Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood
Personality Disorders: Paranoid and Schizoid
Paranoid Personality Disorder
Paranoid personality disorder is...

