OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that serious losses in the life of the attachment figure and patients' early traumatic experiences are risk factors for the development of borderline personality disorder. METHOD: A multicentric hospital-based case-control study of 66 cases and 146 controls. RESULTS: We estimated an odds ratio of 2.5 (95% CI 1.1-5.8) for mothers' serious losses experienced within 2 years of patients' birth and an odds ratio of 5.3 (95% CI 2.1-13) for patients' early traumatic experiences. Both of them are adjusted for the confounding effect of the other as well as for that of age, size of family and type of patient (in- or out-patient), using a multiple logistic function. CONCLUSION: Mourning process in the mother within 2 years of the patient's birth and patients' early traumatic experiences are predictive factors for the development of borderline personality disorder.
OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that serious losses in the life of the attachment figure and patients' early traumatic experiences are risk factors for the development of borderline personality disorder. METHOD: A multicentric hospital-based case-control study of 66 cases and 146 controls. RESULTS: We estimated an odds ratio of 2.5 (95% CI 1.1-5.8) for mothers' serious losses experienced within 2 years of patients' birth and an odds ratio of 5.3 (95% CI 2.1-13) for patients' early traumatic experiences. Both of them are adjusted for the confounding effect of the other as well as for that of age, size of family and type of patient (in- or out-patient), using a multiple logistic function. CONCLUSION: Mourning process in the mother within 2 years of the patient's birth and patients' early traumatic experiences are predictive factors for the development of borderline personality disorder.