Pathways to Borderline Personality Traits: Parental Differential Treatment, Adverse Childhood Experiences, and Loneliness among Emerging Adults

Abstract

In this study, emerging adults’ PPDT, ACEs, and loneliness on developing BPT were studied. Purposive sampling was used to choose 240 emerging adults, ages 18- 25 years. Standardized tools including Sibling Inventory of Differential Experience–Revised (SIDE-R), Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACE-Q), UCLA Loneliness Scale Version 3, McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (MSI-BPD) were used to collect the data. Results showed that maternal and paternal differential affection had significant negative correlations with loneliness, adverse childhood experiences, and borderline personality traits, while maternal and paternal differential control had significant positive correlations with loneliness, adverse childhood experiences, and borderline personality traits. Significant positive correlations were found between adverse childhood experiences, loneliness, and borderline personality traits. There was also a significant positive correlation between loneliness and borderline personality traits. Multiple regression analysis showed that adverse childhood experiences had the greatest positive predictive power on borderline personality traits. Besides, maternal differential control positively predicted borderline personality traits, and paternal differential affection significantly negatively predicted this outcome variable. SEM also revealed that loneliness had a significant mediating effect between maternal and paternal differential control, adverse childhood experiences and borderline personality traits.