Study of 4,993 People Links Unpredictable Childhoods to 4 Adult Borderline Trait Clusters
Updated
Updated · PsyPost · Jul 20
Study of 4,993 People Links Unpredictable Childhoods to 4 Adult Borderline Trait Clusters
1 articles · Updated · PsyPost · Jul 20
Summary
Across three studies of 4,993 U.S. and Israeli participants, adults who recalled more unstable childhoods reported higher emotional, antagonistic, impulsive and dissociative borderline traits.
The pattern held in a 529-person U.S. community sample, 2,478 U.S. students and 1,986 Israeli adults, suggesting the link was not confined to one country or age group.
Childhood harshness showed a weaker, less consistent relationship and often lost significance once unpredictability was considered; in the two U.S. samples, unpredictability was strongest among people reporting lower harshness.
The researchers said the findings highlight predictability in early development, but the correlational, self-reported, nonclinical data cannot show causation or be generalized to diagnosed borderline personality disorder.