Complex Trauma and Mentalizing Ability in College Students With or Without Borderline Personality Disorder: A Mixed...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Trauma Studies
• Mental Health Research

Background:

• Early childhood complex trauma negatively impacts mentalization capacity.
• Complex trauma is causally linked to borderline personality disorder (BPD).
• The ICD-11 inclusion of complex post-traumatic stress disorder necessitates deeper understanding of complex trauma.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess complex trauma and mentalizing ability in college students with BPD versus non-BPD students.
• To explore the subjective experiences of complex trauma in students diagnosed with BPD.

Main Methods:

• An explanatory sequential mixed-method approach was employed.
• Quantitative assessment included the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test.
• Qualitative data were gathered through phenomenological focused interviews.

Main Results:

• Students with BPD exhibited significantly higher rates of six complex trauma types compared to controls.
• Participants with a history of sexual abuse showed improved performance on mentalizing tasks.
• Qualitative themes included perpetrator, impact, symptoms, intergenerational trauma, and hope for post-traumatic growth.

Conclusions:

• Despite experiencing higher levels of complex trauma, individuals with BPD demonstrated superior mentalizing capacities.
• Findings highlight the complex interplay between trauma, BPD, and mentalization, suggesting potential for resilience and growth.