Personality Traits in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Cluster Analysis Based on the Millon Test Scores

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Personality Disorders

Background:

• Borderline personality disorder (BPD) presents complex treatment challenges due to its heterogeneity.
• Identifying distinct personality trait patterns in BPD is crucial for understanding its clinical presentation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify empirically derived patterns of co-occurring personality traits in individuals with primary BPD.
• To examine the clinical correlates associated with these identified trait patterns.

Main Methods:

• Assessed Millon's personality traits (MCMI-IV) in 97 BPD patients.
• Performed cluster analysis on personality traits to identify distinct patterns.
• Evaluated and compared clinical dimensions of BPD across identified clusters.

Main Results:

• Identified three distinct trait-pattern clusters within the BPD sample.
• Pattern 1: High borderline, histrionic, narcissistic, antisocial traits; higher anxiety-depression, anger expression.
• Pattern 2: High borderline, dependent, avoidant traits; higher anxiety-depression.
• Pattern 3: Lower levels of all traits; received more pharmacological treatment.

Conclusions:

• Findings support dimensional conceptualizations of BPD by revealing three co-occurring trait patterns.
• These patterns align with externalizing-leaning, internalizing-leaning, and attenuated configurations.
• The identified patterns may inform early characterization and personalized treatment approaches for BPD.