TY - JOUR
T1 - Tests of a direct effect of childhood abuse on adult borderline personality disorder traits
T2 - A longitudinal discordant twin design
AU - Bornovalova, Marina A.
AU - Huibregtse, Brooke M.
AU - Hicks, Brian M.
AU - Keyes, Margaret
AU - McGue, Matt
AU - Iacono, William
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - We used a longitudinal twin design to examine the causal association between sexual, emotional, and physical abuse in childhood (before age 18) and borderline personality disorder (BPD) traits at age 24 using a discordant twin design and biometric modeling. Additionally, we examined the mediating and moderating effects of symptoms of childhood externalizing and internalizing disorders on the link between childhood abuse and BPD traits. Although childhood abuse, BPD traits, and internalizing and externalizing symptoms were all correlated, the discordant twin analyses and biometric modeling showed little to no evidence that was consistent with a causal effect of childhood abuse on BPD traits. Instead, our results indicate that the association between childhood abuse and BPD traits stems from common genetic influences that, in some cases, also overlap with internalizing and externalizing disorders. These findings are inconsistent with the widely held assumption that childhood abuse causes BPD, and they suggest that BPD traits in adulthood are better accounted for by heritable vulnerabilities to internalizing and externalizing disorders.
AB - We used a longitudinal twin design to examine the causal association between sexual, emotional, and physical abuse in childhood (before age 18) and borderline personality disorder (BPD) traits at age 24 using a discordant twin design and biometric modeling. Additionally, we examined the mediating and moderating effects of symptoms of childhood externalizing and internalizing disorders on the link between childhood abuse and BPD traits. Although childhood abuse, BPD traits, and internalizing and externalizing symptoms were all correlated, the discordant twin analyses and biometric modeling showed little to no evidence that was consistent with a causal effect of childhood abuse on BPD traits. Instead, our results indicate that the association between childhood abuse and BPD traits stems from common genetic influences that, in some cases, also overlap with internalizing and externalizing disorders. These findings are inconsistent with the widely held assumption that childhood abuse causes BPD, and they suggest that BPD traits in adulthood are better accounted for by heritable vulnerabilities to internalizing and externalizing disorders.
KW - Behavioral genetics
KW - Borderline personality disorder
KW - Childhood abuse
KW - Co-twin control design
KW - Externalizing traits
KW - Internalizing traits.
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U2 - 10.1037/a0028328
DO - 10.1037/a0028328
M3 - Article
C2 - 22686871
AN - SCOPUS:84881002547
SN - 0021-843X
VL - 122
SP - 180
EP - 194
JO - Journal of abnormal psychology
JF - Journal of abnormal psychology
IS - 1
ER -