Research has established the diagnostic validity of borderline personality disorder (BPD) in adolescence. The roots of BPD often lie in childhood; however, significantly less is known about the presence and correlates of BPD traits in school-age children and whether these are comparable with those observed in adolescents. Trained psychologists administered the Childhood Interview for Borderline Personality Disorder in a cohort of 14-year-old adolescents (n = 76) and a cohort of 9-year-old children (n = 70). We compared the prevalence of BPD traits in both cohorts and investigated common psychosocial correlates (comorbidity, impaired quality of life, emotional/behavioral problems, maternal distress, and observed mother–child interaction). Children and adolescents showed no significant differences regarding the type and frequency of BPD traits. In both cohorts, BPD traits were associated with comorbidity, emotional and behavioral problems, and lower quality of life. In contrast to adolescents, children’s BPD traits were not significantly related to maternal distress and showed less relations to interaction patterns. Negative maternal and dyadic behavior were associated with more BPD traits in adolescents during a conflict discussion but not during fun day planning. Our study suggests that BPD traits in children are similarly frequent as in adolescents and accompanied by psychosocial impairment. However, age-related differences were revealed, mostly indicating weaker associations with the mother–child relationship. Mother–child interaction patterns in youth seem to be especially relevant during conflict discussion and provide a target for intervention. Our study provides preliminary support for potential early detection of BPD pathology among children and encourages further study of its life span perspective.

Purpose of Review Parental mental disorders, particularly borderline personality disorder (BPD), impair parenting behavior. Consequently, the children exhibit an elevated risk for psychopathology across their lifespan. Social support for parents is thought to moderate the relationship between parental mental illness and parenting behavior. It may dampen negative effects and serve as starting point for preventive interventions. This paper provides a literature overview regarding the impact of social support on the sequelae of parental mental illness and BPD for parenting behavior. Recent Findings Current literature highlights the increased burden of families with a mentally ill parent and associated changes in parenting behavior like increased hostility and affective dysregulation, especially in the context of parental BPD. Literature further demonstrates the powerful impact of social support in buffering such negative outcomes. The effect of social support seems to be moderated itself by further factors like socioeconomic status, gender, or characteristics of the social network. Summary Social support facilitates positive parenting in mentally ill parents and may be particularly important in parents with BPD. However, social support is embedded within a framework of influencing factors, which need consideration when interpreting scientific results.

Research has shown associations between adverse parenting experiences and (borderline) personality disorder ([B]PD). A biopsychosocial model suggests that child characteristics and the environment interact in the development of symptoms. However, prospective data in this aspect are limited. This study focused on maternal bonding impairment (MBI; 2 weeks postpartum) and its interactions with child temperament (age 5) and child sex as predictors of BPD symptoms and general personality dysfunction in adolescence. Participants were 64 mother–child dyads from a community sample who took part in a 14-year longitudinal study. Higher MBI was a significant predictor of general personality dysfunction as defined in Criterion A of the alternative model for PD of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. Interactions showed that the effect of MBI on general personality dysfunction was decreased for children higher in harm avoidance and increased for children higher in novelty seeking. There was also a negative main effect of harm avoidance on (B)PD features. Regarding BPD symptoms, the MBI × Child Sex interaction indicated differential susceptibility. Girls’ but not boys’ BPD symptoms were dependent on maternal bonding. Our results indicate that children at risk of developing personality pathology can be identified early in life. They stress the importance of early relationship disturbances in the development of personality pathology and refine the understanding of differential susceptibility factors in the context of MBI and PD symptom development. Our findings can be applied to target at-risk dyads for selective early prevention based on temperament and maternal bonding.

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