A comparison of borderline personality symptomatology and self-destructive behavior in women with eating, substance abuse, and both eating and substance abuse disorders

Objective: According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, borderline personality disorder (BPD) is an Axis II phenomenon that is characterized by impulsivity, including sexual impul-sivity. However, little empirical research has been undertaken to confirm and/or define the nature of sexual impulsivity in patients with BPD, which is the focus of the present study. Method: Using a cross-sectional approach and sample of convenience, we surveyed 76 women who were being seen as outpatients in an internal medicine clinic regarding: a) borderline personality symptoms using two measures (i.e., the borderline personality scale of the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4, McLean Screening Inventory for Borderline Personality Disorder); and b) their sexual histories. Results: We found two statistically significant differences—those with borderline per-sonality symptomatology were more likely to have an earlier onset of sexual intercourse as well as to report date rape. Conclusions: Individuals with borderline personality symptomatology report earlier sexual exposure as wel