Borderline personality symptomatology, casual sexual relationships, and promiscuity

In this study, we compiled 12 previous databases to examine, among a large sample (N=972) of psychiatric and nonpsychiatric patients, the relationship, if any, between borderline personality symptomatology and sexual impulsivity. Two types of sexual impulsivity were assessed through two self-report items that queried participants about (1) having sex with individuals whom respondents hardly knew (i.e., casual sexual relationships) and (2) promiscuity. Across the entire sample, those with borderline personality symptomatology evidenced at least twice the rate of endorsement of these items compared to those without such symptomatology. This proportion was also closely approximated in the various subsamples (i.e., psychiatric, internal medicine, and other medical subsamples). These findings indicate that a substantial minority of patients with borderline personality symptomatology exhibit sexual impulsivity in the form of casual sexual relationships as well as promiscuity.