Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Perceived Parenting and Borderline Personality Features during Adolescence

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Child Psychiatry & Human Development Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study investigates the associations between perceived parenting and borderline personality disorder (BPD) in adolescents. The relations between components of parenting and BPD features were explored. Participants (N = 270; mean age = 15.3) assessed their own BPD features (Personality Assessment Inventory) and both of their parents’ parenting practices (Parents as Social Context Questionnaire; Perceived Parental Autonomy Support Scale). SEM results suggest that controlling, rejecting and chaotic parenting all predicted global BPD, and all these parenting components were significantly associated with at least one BPD feature. Chaotic parenting, a relatively neglected construct in the BPD literature, seems to play an important role in early BPD.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. APA (2013) Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 5th edn. American Psychiatric Publishing, Arlington, USA

    Google Scholar 

  2. Grant BF, Chou SP, Ruan WJ, Goldstein RB, Boji H, Stinson FS et al (2008) Prevalence, correlates, disability, and comorbidity of DSM-IV borderline personality disorder : results from the wave 2 national epidemiologic survey on alcohol and related conditions. J Clin Psychiatry 69:533–545

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  3. Kaess M, Brunner R, Chanen A (2014) Borderline personality disorder in adolescence. Pediatrics 134:782

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Leichsenring F, Leibing E, Kruse J, New AS, Leweke F (2011) Borderline personality disorder. Lancet 377:74–84

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (2009) Borderline personality disorder: treatment and management, nice clinical guidelines no.78. British Psychological Society, Leicester, UK

  6. Winograd G, Cohen P, Chen H (2008) Adolescent borderline symptoms in the community: prognosis for functioning over 20 years. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 49:933–941

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Winsper C, Lereya ST, Marwaha S, Thompson A, Eyden J, Singh SP (2016) The aetiological and psychopathological validity of borderline personality disorder in youth: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Psychol Rev 44:13–24

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Lyons-Ruth K, Bureau JF, Holmes B, Easterbrooks A, Brooks NH (2013) Borderline symptoms and suicidality/self-injury in late adolescence: prospectively observed relationship correlates in infancy and childhood. Psychiatry Res 206:273–281

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Bradley B, Jenei J, Westen D (2005) Etiology of borderline personality disorder: disentangling the contributions of intercorrelated antecedents. J Nerv Ment Dis 193:24–31

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Boucher MÈ, Pugliese J, Allard-Chapais C, Lecours S, Ahoundova L, Chouinard R et al (2017) Parent–child relationship associated with the development of borderline personality disorder: a systematic review. Personal Ment Health 11:229–255

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Hardt J, Rutter M (2004) Validity of adult retrospective reports of adverse childhood experiences: review of the evidence. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 45:260–273

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Geiger TC, Crick NR (2010) Developmental pathways to personality disorders. In: Ingram RE, Price JM (eds) Vulnerability to psychopathology: risk across the lifespan, 2nd edn. Guilford Press, New York, USA, pp 57–108

    Google Scholar 

  13. Hinshaw SP (2013) Developmental psychopathology as a scientific discipline. In: Beauchaine TP, Hinshaw SP (eds) Child and adolescent psychopathology, 2nd edn. John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, USA, pp 577–609

    Google Scholar 

  14. Crowell SE, Beauchaine TP, Linehan MM (2009) A biosocial developmental model of borderline personality: elaborating and extending Linehan’s theory. Psychol Bull 135:495–510

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  15. Belsky DW, Caspi A, Arseneault L, Bleidorn W, Fonagy P, Goodman M et al (2012) Etiological features of borderline personality related characteristics in a birth cohort of 12-year-old children. Dev Psychopathol 24:251–265

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  16. Chanen AM, Chanen AM, Kaess M, Kaess M (2012) Developmental pathways to borderline personality disorder. Curr Psychiatry Rep 14:45–53

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Fonagy P, Speranza M, Luyten P, Kaess M, Hessels C, Bohus M (2015) ESCAP expert article: Borderline personality disorder in adolescence: an expert research review with implications for clinical practice. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 24:1307–1320

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Chanen AM, McCutcheon L (2013) Prevention and early intervention for borderline personality disorder: current status and recent evidence. Br J Psychiatry 202:s24–s29

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Clark LA (2009) Stability and change in personality disorder. Curr Dir Psychol Sci 18:27–31

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Zimmerman M, Chelminski I, Young D, Dalrymple K, Martinez J (2013) Is dimensional scoring of borderline personality disorder important only for subthreshold levels of severity? J Pers Disord 27:244–251

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Michonski JD (2014) The underlying factor structure of DSM criteria in youth BPD. In: Sharp C, Tackett JL (eds) Handbook of borderline personality disorder in children and adolescents. Springer, New York, USA, pp 35–48

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  22. Morey LC (2007) Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI): professional manual, 2nd. Psychological Assessment Resources, Lutz, USA

  23. Trull TJ, Tomko RL, Brown WC, Scheiderer EM (2010) Borderline personality disorder in 3-D: dimensions, symptoms, and measurement challenges. Soc Personal Psychol Compass 4:1057–1069

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Hallquist MN, Hipwell AE, Stepp SD (2015) Poor self-control and harsh punishment in childhood prospectively predict borderline personality symptoms in adolescent girls. J Abnorm Psychol 124:549–564

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  25. Whalen DJ, Malkin ML, Freeman MJ, Young J, Gratz KL (2015) Brief report: borderline personality symptoms and perceived caregiver criticism in adolescents. J Adolesc 41:157–161

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  26. Schuppert HM, Albers CJ, Minderaa RB, Emmelkamp PM, Nauta MH (2015) Severity of borderline personality symptoms in adolescence: relationship with maternal parenting stress, maternal psychopathology, and rearing styles. J Pers Disord 29:289–302

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Carlson EA, Egeland B, Sroufe LA (2009) A prospective investigation of the development of borderline personality symptoms. Dev Psychopathol 21:1311–1334

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Infurna MR, Brunner R, Holz B, Parzer P, Giannone F, Reichl C et al (2016) The specific role of childhood abuse, parental bonding, and family functioning in female adolescents with borderline personality disorder. J Pers Disord 30:177–192

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Winsper C, Wolke D, Lereya T (2015) Prospective associations between prenatal adversities and borderline personality disorder at 11–12 years. Psychol Med 45:1025–1037

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Macfie J, Strimpfel JM (2014) Parenting and the development of borderline personality disorder. In: Sharp C, Tackett JL (eds) Handbook of borderline personality disorder in children and adolescents. Springer, New York, USA, pp 277–289

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  31. Gray MR, Steinberg L (1999) Unpacking authoritative parenting: reassessing a multidimensional construct. J Marriage Fam 61:574–587

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Baumrind D (1966) Effects of authoritative parental control on child behavior. Child Dev 37:887–907

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Barber BK (1996) Parental psychological control: revisiting a neglected construct. Child Dev 67:3296–3319

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Aunola K, Tolvanen A, Viljaranta J, Nurmi J-E (2013) Psychological control in daily parent-child interactions increases children’s negative emotions. J Fam Psychol 27:453–462

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Soenens B, Vansteenkiste M (2010) A theoretical upgrade of the concept of parental psychological control: proposing new insights on the basis of self-determination theory. Dev Rev 30:74–99

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Mageau GA, Bureau JS, Ranger F, Allen M-P, Soenens B (2016) The role of parental achievement goals in predicting autonomy-supportive and controlling parenting. J Child Fam Stud 25:1702–1711

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Skinner E, Johnson S, Snyder T (2005) Six dimensions of parenting: a motivational model. Parent Sci Pract 5:175–235

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Grolnick WS (2003) The psychology of parental control: how well-meant parenting backfires. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, USA

    Google Scholar 

  39. Ryan RM (2005) The developmental line of autonomy in the etiology, dynamics, and treatment of borderline personality disorders. Dev Psychopathol 17:987–1006

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Routhier C, Houle M, Chabot M (2014) PAI: inventaire de la personnalité. Institut de recherches psychologiques, Montréal, Canada

    Google Scholar 

  41. Jacobo MC, Blais MA, Baity MR, Harley R (2007) Concurrent validity of the personality assessment inventory borderline scales in patients seeking dialectical behavior therapy. J Pers Assess 88:74–80

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Mageau GA, Ranger F, Joussemet M, Koestner R, Moreau E, Forest J (2015) Validation of the perceived parental autonomy support scale (P-PASS). Can J Behav Sci 47:251–262

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Won S, Yu SL (2018) Relations of perceived parental autonomy support and control with adolescents’ academic time management and procrastination. Learn Individ Differ 61:205–215

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. Rowe SL, Zimmer-Gembeck MJ, Rudolph J, Nesdale D (2015) A longitudinal study of rejecting and autonomy-restrictive parenting, rejection sensitivity, and socioemotional symptoms in early adolescents. J Abnorm Child Psychol 43:1107–1118

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Vallerand RJ (1989) Vers une méthodologie de validation trans-culturelle de questionnaires psychologiques: implications pour la recherche en langue française 30:662–680

    Google Scholar 

  46. Bradley R, Zittel Conklin C, Westen D (2005) The borderline personality diagnosis in adolescents: gender differences and subtypes. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 46:1006–1019

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Muthén LK, Muthén BO (1998–2010) Mplus user’s guide, 6th edn. Muthén & Muthén, Los Angeles, USA

  48. Awang Z (2012) Structural equation modeling using amos graphic. Penerbit Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Malaysia

    Google Scholar 

  49. Hu L, Bentler PM (1999) Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Struct Equ Modeling 6:1–55

    Article  Google Scholar 

  50. Balan R, Dobrean A, Roman GD, Balazsi R (2017) Indirect effects of parenting practices on internalizing problems among adolescents: the role of expressive suppression. J Child Fam Stud 26:40–47

    Article  Google Scholar 

  51. Manczak EM, Ham PJ, Sinard RN, Chen E (2019) Beyond positive or negative: variability in daily parent-adolescent interaction quality is associated with adolescent emotion dysregulation. Cogn Emot 33:840–847

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  52. Mirabile SP (2014) Parents’ inconsistent emotion socialization and children’s socioemotional adjustment. J Appl Dev Psychol 35:392–400

    Article  Google Scholar 

  53. Morris AS, Silk JS, Steinberg L, Myers SS, Robinson LR (2007) The role of the family context in the development of emotion regulation. Soc Dev 16:361–388

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  54. Mitrou F, Gaudie J, Lawrence D, Silburn SR, Stanley FJ, Zubrick SR (2010) Antecedents of hospital admission for deliberate self-harm from a 14-year follow-up study using data-linkage. BMC Psychiatry 10:82

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  55. Amoateng AY, Barber BK, Erickson LD (2006) Family predictors of adolescent substance use: the case of high school students in the Cape metropolitan area, Cape Town, South Africa. J Child Adolesc Ment Health 18:7–15

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  56. Sasser TR, Kalvin CB, Bierman KL (2016) Developmental trajectories of clinically significant attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms from grade 3 through 12 in a high-risk sample: predictors and outcomes. J Abnorm Psychol 125:207–219

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  57. Ruiz-Ortiz R, Braza P, Carreras R, Muñoz JM (2017) Differential effects of mother’s and father’s parenting on prosocial and antisocial behavior: child sex moderating. J Child Fam Stud 26:2182–2190

    Article  Google Scholar 

  58. Duncombe ME, Havighurst SS, Holland KA, Frankling EJ (2012) The contribution of parenting practices and parent emotion factors in children at risk for disruptive behavior disorders. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 43:715–733

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  59. Murray J, Farrington DP (2010) Risk factors for conduct disorder and delinquency: key findings from longitudinal studies. Can J Psychiatry 55:633–642

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  60. Greenberg MT, Speltz ML (1988) Attachment and the ontogeny of conduct problems. In: Belsky J, Nezworski T (eds) Clinical implications of attachment. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, USA, pp 177–218

    Google Scholar 

  61. Campbell SB (1995) Behavior problems in preschool children: a review of recent research. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 36:113–149

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  62. Roskam I (2019) Externalizing behavior from early childhood to adolescence: prediction from inhibition, language, parenting, and attachment. Dev Psychopathol 31:587–599

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  63. Joussemet M, Vitaro F, Barker ED, Côté S, Nagin DS, Zoccolillo M et al (2008) Controlling parenting and physical aggression during elementary school. Child Dev 79:411–425

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  64. Mills-Koonce WR, Willoughby MT, Garrett-Peters P, Wagner N, Vernon-Feagans L (2016) The interplay among socioeconomic status, household chaos, and parenting in the prediction of child conduct problems and callous-unemotional behaviors. Dev Psychopathol 28:757–771

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  65. Brauer JR (2017) Cultivating conformists or raising rebels? connecting parental control and autonomy support to adolescent delinquency. J Res Adolesc 27:452–470

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  66. Hunter SB, Barber BK, Stolz HE (2015) Extending knowledge of parents’ role in adolescent development: the mediating effect of self-esteem. J Child Fam Stud 24:2474–2484

    Article  Google Scholar 

  67. Bowlby J (1969) Attachment and loss, volume 1: attachment. Basic Books, New York, USA

  68. Liu Y, Fei L, Sun X, Wei C, Luo F, Li Z et al (2018) Parental rearing behaviors and adolescent’s social trust: roles of adolescent self-esteem and class justice climate. J Child Fam Stud 27:1415–1427

    Article  Google Scholar 

  69. Zimmer-Gembeck MJ, Van Petegem S, Ducat W, Clear S, Mastro S (2017) Parent-adolescent relationships and romantic development: a review and argument for research on autonomy-supportive parenting. In: Soenens B, Vansteenkiste M, Van Petegem S (eds) Autonomy in adolescent development: towards conceptual clarity. Psychology Press, London, UK, pp 168–192

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  70. Rubin KH, Lollis SP (1988) Origins and consequences of social withdrawal. In: Belsky J, Nezworski T (eds) Clinical implications of attachment. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, USA, pp 219–252

    Google Scholar 

  71. Meeus W (2011) The study of adolescent identity formation 2000–2010: a review of longitudinal research. J Res Adolesc 21:75–94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  72. Grotevant HD, Cooper CR (1985) Patterns of interaction in family relationships and the development of identity exploration in adolescence. Child Dev 56:415–428

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  73. Miller AL, Muehlenkamp JJ, Jacobson CM (2008) Fact or fiction: diagnosing borderline personality disorder in adolescents. Clin Psychol Rev 28:969–981

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  74. Podsakoff PM, MacKenzie SB, Lee JY, Podsakoff NP (2003) Common method biases in behavioral research: a critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. J Appl Psychol 88:879–903

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  75. Armelius K, Granberg (2000) Self-image and perception of mother and father in psychotic and borderline patients. Psychother Res 10:147–158

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  76. Stepp SD, Whalen DJ, Scott LN, Zalewski M, Loeber R, Hipwell AE (2014) Reciprocal effects of parenting and borderline personality disorder symptoms in adolescent girls. Dev Psychopathol 26:361–378

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  77. Fruzzetti AE, Hoffman PD (2004) Family connections workbook and training manual. National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder, Rye, USA

Download references

Funding

This research was funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec—Société et Culture (FRQ-SC) research grant (# 196443). The research was also supported by scholarships from the Université de Montréal and the FRQ-SC to the first author during the completion of her Ph.D.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada

    Jessie-Ann Armour, Mireille Joussemet, Geneviève A. Mageau & Rose Varin

Authors
  1. Jessie-Ann Armour
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mireille Joussemet
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Geneviève A. Mageau
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Rose Varin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mireille Joussemet.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained for all the adolescents who participated in the study.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Armour, JA., Joussemet, M., Mageau, G.A. et al. Perceived Parenting and Borderline Personality Features during Adolescence. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 54, 927–938 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-021-01295-3

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-021-01295-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation