Patterns of Self-Harm Behavior Among Women with Borderline Personality Symptomatology: Psychiatric versus Primary Care Samples

Abstract: The current study investigated differences in self-harm behavior among individuals with borderline personality symptomatology from two different clinical settings. Partici-pants were women, between the ages of 18 and 45, from an outpatient mental health setting or a primary care setting. Each participant completed the Self-Harm Inventory (SHI) and the borderline personality scale of the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-Revised (PDQ-R). Using a predetermined cut-off for substantial borderline personality symptomatology on the SHI, group comparisons with 2 analyses indicated that “overdosed ” and “hit self ” were significantly more common in the mental health subsample whereas “abused laxatives ” was significantly more common in the primary care subsample. Using a predetermined cut-off for borderline personality on the PDQ-R, chi-square analyses indicated that “overdosed ” and “hit self ” remained significantly more common in the mental health subsample. Despite these differences, there was remark-able similarity of symptoms between groups. The implications of these findings are discussed. © 2000 Elsevier Science Inc