Emerging Borderline Personality Features, Attachment Representations and Behavioral Dysregulation in School-Age...

This study aims to shed light on the influence of insecure attachment representations on the presence of emerging borderline personality features (EBPF) in school-age children, and the role of these features in manifestations of behavioral dysregulation. The sample is composed of 116 children aged 7 to 12 (M _age = 9.11; SD = 1.68; 47 girls) drawn from three groups: children under youth protective care (n = 35), consulting psychologists or child psychiatrists (n = 42), and the general population (n = 39). The EBPF were evaluated using the Borderline Personality Features Scale for Children. Attachment representations were assessed using the Child Attachment Interview. The Child Behavior Checklist for youth was used to verify the presence of behavioral dysregulation. Analyses of variance indicate that the three groups differ in the insecurity of attachment representations and the extent of behavioral dysregulation, with children under youth protective care showing the highest levels and children in the general population showing the lowest. Children under youth protective care have a higher EBPF score than the general population. Regression analyses confirmed that more insecure attachment representations predict an increase in EBPF, while the latter influence the increase in behavioral dysregulation. A partial mediating effect of EBPF was found in the relationship between attachment representations and behavioral dysregulation. To our knowledge, this is the first study to identify a mediation trajectory between attachment representations, EBPF, and behavioral dysregulation in a sample of school-age children. These results are discussed with regard to their implications for borderline-to-be functioning.