Associating interpersonal problems and borderline personality disorder domains

Recent studies have examined the relationship between borderline personality disorder (BPD) and interpersonal problems in a relatively broad sense. Findings from these studies have been inconclusive, confirming that BPD is heterogeneous empirically, such that there is no particular interpersonal problem associated with the disorder. This study aims to determine if breaking up BPD into its main symptom domains (affective instability, identity problems, negative relationships, and self-harm) will reveal specific interpersonal problems yet to be found when BPD is considered a unitary construct. Data from the Personality Assessment Inventory – Borderline Features Scale (PAI-BOR) and the Circumplex Scales of Interpersonal Problems (CSIP) given at a baseline were subjected to the Structural Summary Method (SSM) in order to analyze the relationships each domain had with interpersonal problems on a circumplex. Findings showed that not only was BPD as a unitary construct interpersonally diffuse, but three of the four symptom domains showed similarly diffuse results. These results are interpreted within the context of validity of the measures used, and the theoretical preposition that BPD is a core personality disorder representing a general factor of personality pathology