Identifying a borderline personality disorder prodrome: Implications for community screening

Elucidating early signs and symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD) has important implications for screening and identifying youth appropriate for early intervention. The purpose of this study was to identify dimensions of child temperament and psychopathology symptom severity that predict conversion to a positive screen for BPD over a 14-year follow-up period in a large, urban community sample of girls (n = 2 450). Parent and teacher reports of child temperament and psychopathology symptom severity assessed when girls were ages 5-8 years were examined as predictors of new-onset BPD cases when girls were ages 14-22 years. In the final model, parent and teacher ratings of emotionality remained significant predictors of new-onset BPD. Additionally, parent ratings of hyperactivity/impulsivity and depression severity, as well as teacher ratings of inattention severity, were also predictive. Results also revealed that elevations in these dimensions pose a notable increase in risk for conversion to BPD over the follow-up period. Supplementary analyses revealed that with the exception of parent-reported depression severity, these same predictors were associated with increases in BPD symptom severity over the follow-up period. These findings suggest BPD onset in adolescence and early adulthood can be detected from parent and teacher reports of temperament and symptom severity dimensions assessed in childhood. The identification of this prodrome holds promise for advancing early detection of children at risk prior to the development of the full-blown disorder. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.