Self-reported mistrust in borderline personality disorder: A meta-analytic review

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by chronic interpersonal dysfunction.
• Impaired trust is a significant barrier to BPD recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between mistrust and BPD.
• To explore potential moderating effects of age, gender, education, measurement types, and study design.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was conducted across major databases.
• Included 212 analytical observational studies using psychometrically valid self-report measures.
• A three-level meta-analytical model synthesized 457 effect sizes from 119,691 participants.

Main Results:

• A pooled correlation of r = 0.45 (95% CI [0.43, 0.46]) was found between mistrust and BPD.
• Demographic variables did not significantly moderate this association.
• Identified limitations include handling confounding variables and standardized BPD assessment.

Conclusions:

• Interpersonal mistrust plays a crucial role in BPD.
• Further research is needed to clarify the clinical implications of mistrust in BPD.
• Findings underscore the importance of addressing trust deficits in BPD treatment.