Borderline Personality Disorder and Religion: A perspective from a Muslim country

There are still many unanswered questions about psychological and social factors that may affect the development and treatment of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Religion/spirituality (R/S) is a factor that could influence the lives of people with BPD.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between religiosity, religious attendance and borderline personality traits.

Four hundred twenty- nine medical students of Tehran University of medical sciences participated in this study, and their information on demographics, responses to the Duke University Religion Index (DUREL), and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Disorders (the self-administered section on BPD) was obtained.

The total score of SCID-II questionnaire and the number of positive borderline personality characteristics on the SCID-II were inversely related with the DUREL total score and individual DUREL items. Those with higher levels of borderline personality traits had lower total DUREL score and lower DUREL subscale scores.

Religiosity and religious attendance are negatively correlated with borderline personality traits, especially with anger, instability of mood, feeling of emptiness and self-harming behaviors. These findings are important for understanding the causes of BPD and in developing treatments for this disorder.