Emotion dysregulation mediates the effect of borderline personality disorder on child psychopathology.

BACKGROUND

Children of mothers with borderline personality disorder (BPD) face an increased risk of developing mental health issues. To prevent the intergenerational transmission of psychopathology, a thorough understanding of specific pathways is essential. BPD is characterized by symptoms such as difficulties in emotion regulation, impulsivity, and attachment insecurity, all of which have a detrimental impact on child development. Here, we explore the role of these three core characteristics as potential mediators for the impact of maternal BPD on child psychopathology.

METHODS

The study included 87 mothers (34 with and 53 without BPD) and their biological children aged 5-12 years. We employed two multiple parallel mediation models to identify the mediating role of the core characteristics for the effect of BPD on externalizing and internalizing child behavior. Our analyses were controlled for maternal early-life maltreatment.

RESULTS

Both models demonstrated significant effects of BPD on child psychopathology. We found a significant indirect effect of BPD on externalizing child behavior through emotion dysregulation, but not through impulsivity or attachment insecurity. None of the three characteristics proved to be significant mediators in the effect of BPD on internalizing child behavior.

CONCLUSION

Examining the distinct contributions of three common core characteristics of BPD, difficulties in emotion regulation appear to be the relevant pathway through which maternal BPD affects externalizing psychopathology in children. Specifically, children of mothers with BPD who exhibit externalizing psychopathology could benefit from additional parenting interventions focusing on improving maternal emotion regulation.