The longitudinal relationship between borderline personality features, disordered eating behaviour, and the role of impulsivity were examined using a sample of 643 Canadian adolescents from the McMaster Teen Study. Participants were assessed annually, beginning in Grade 7 until Grade 12.Using path analysis, the results suggest that higher symptoms of impulsivity increase an adolescent’s risk of engaging in disordered eating behaviour, as well as developing borderline personality features in later years. Results also showed a bidirectional relationship between these variables, whereby borderline personality features and disordered eating influence one another throughout time. As well, disordered eating appeared as an antecedent for borderline personality features. The findings highlight the importance for clinicians to be aware of the high comorbidity of disordered eating, borderline personality features, and impulsivity, and that early interventions that target impulsivity and problematic eating behaviour may mitigate the risk of future borderline personality features. Clinical implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

Individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) experience severe and pervasive disturbances in the development of attachment relationships, identity, and emotion regulation. Given these deficits, mothers diagnosed with BPD are likely to experience significant difficulties in parenting their children. The present study examined the effect of maternal BPD and borderline personality features on emotional availability in interactions between mothers with BPD and their 4- to 7-year-old children. In a low socioeconomic status (SES) sample of n = 35 children of mothers diagnosed with BPD and n = 35 normative comparisons, groups were compared on maternal and child emotional availability, and self-reported maternal borderline personality features were assessed across the sample as a whole. No significant differences in emotional availability were found between groups. Across the sample as whole, however, maternal borderline personality features of affective instability, identity disturbance, negative relationships, and self-harm were significantly correlated with maternal intrusiveness and maternal hostility. Maternal borderline personality features of affective instability and negative relationships were significantly associated with maternal sensitivity, child responsiveness, and child involvement. Results are discussed in terms of putative precursors to BPD and preventive interventions.

Introduction: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe psychiatric disorder characterized by emotion dysregulation, interpersonal dysfunction, and poor impulse control. Little research has investigated BPD in the context of major life events. The perinatal period (pregnancy until 12 months postpartum) is an important milestone that involves major role transitions and novel challenges. This thesis examined the associations between borderline personality features (BPF) and depressive and generalized anxiety symptoms in a sample of treatment-seeking perinatal women. Methods: 74 perinatal women were recruited from the Women’s Health Concerns Clinic (WHCC) at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Canada, and enrolled in the WHCC Registry study. Participants were sent online intake questionnaires to collect data about demographic, personality, and other psychosocial variables. They also completed three self-report mental health measures: the McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (MSI-BPD), the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7). Logistic regression was used to determine whether a positive MSI-BPD screen (score ≥ 7) was associated with a higher likelihood of screening positive on the EPDS or GAD-7 (score ≥ 13). Results: A positive screen on the MSI-BPD was significantly associated with an almost eighteen-fold increase in the odds of screening positive on the EPDS in our treatment-seeking perinatal sample (OR 17.84, 95% CI[2.11, 218.80], p<0.05). A positive screen on the MSI-BPD was not associated with higher odds of screening positive on the GAD-7, rather only childhood trauma and a positive screen on the EPDS emerged as significant predictor variables. Our findings may reflect the greater symptomatic overlap observed between BPD and perinatal depression as well as the comparatively lower comorbidity observed between GAD and BPD in non-perinatal research. Conclusions and Future Directions: The use of self-report measures, low statistical power, and a treatment-seeking sample are limitations to consider when interpreting our findings. To our knowledge, this research study offers one of the first explorations into the relationship between BPD and generalized anxiety symptoms during the perinatal period. Future research should aim to better characterize perinatal BPD and investigate its relationship with other mental health conditions. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / The perinatal period (pregnancy until 12 months postpartum) represents a time of heightened vulnerability to poor mental health. Prior research has mainly focused on perinatal depression and anxiety, while perinatal personality disorders have received comparably less attention. Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe psychiatric disorder associated with diminished ability to regulate emotions, disturbances in self-image, troubled interpersonal relationships, and impulsive behaviour. This thesis investigated the relationship between self-reported borderline personality features (BPF) and depressive and generalized anxiety symptoms in a sample of perinatal women seeking treatment at a psychiatric clinic. We hope that this research sheds light on the nature of perinatal BPD, as well as its associations with other mental health conditions, to improve both immediate and multi-generational maternal and infant well-being.

Tyrimo tikslas – nustatyti neurotizmo, ekstraversijos, atvirumo patyrimui, sutariamumo ir sąžiningumo bruožų prognostinę vertę muzikos mokytojų faktiniam ir/ar suvokiamam suderinamumui su savo profesija. Tyrime dalyvavo 174 muzikos mokytojai. Tiriamųjų imtį sudarė 110 (63,2%) moterų ir 64 vyrai (36,8%). Tyrimui atlikti buvo naudojamas J. L. Holland Profesinio kryptingumo klausimynas (1996) (angl. Vocational Preference Inventory), Penkių didžiųjų faktorių inventorius (angl. Big Five Inventory) (John et al., 1991), suvokiamam muzikos mokytojų suderinamumui su profesija nustatyti buvo užduodamas klausimas, tiriamųjų prašant įvertinti savo suderinamumą su muzikos mokytojo profesija. Tyrimo rezultatai parodė, kad didėjant muzikos mokytojų faktinio suderinamumo su profesija išreikštumui, didėja ir suvokiamas suderinamumas su savo profesija. Buvo nustatyta, kad atvirumo patyrimui ir sutariamumo bruožai prognozuoja aukštesnio lygio vyrų muzikos mokytojų faktinį suderinamumą su profesija, tačiau ekstraversijos ir sąžiningumo bruožai neturi prognostinės vertės vyrų muzikos mokytojų faktiniam suderinamumui su profesija. Atvirumo patyrimui bruožas prognozuoja aukštesnio lygio moterų muzikos mokytojų faktinį suderinamumą su profesija, tačiau ekstraversijos, sutariamumo ir sąžiningumo bruožai neturi prognostinės vertės moterų muzikos mokytojų faktiniam suderinamumui su profesija. Tyrimo rezultatai taip pat parodė, kad atvirumo patyrimui bruožas prognozuoja aukštesnio lygio muzikos... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The aim of the study was to identify the predictive value of neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness features to music teachers’ actual and/or perceived compatibility with the profession. There were 174 music teachers in the study. Research sample consisted of 110 (63,2%) women and 64 (36,8%) men. The study was carried out using Vocational Preference Inventory (Holland, 1996), Big Five Inventory (John et al., 1991), to establish perceived music teachers‘ compatibility with profession, the participants of the study were asked the question, asking to assess their compatibility with the music teaching profession. The results of the study showed, that if increases expression of the actual music teachers’ compatibility with the profession, increases and perceived music teachers’ compatibility with the profession. It was established, that openness to experience and agreeableness features predict a higher level of male music teachers’ actual compatibility with the profession, but neuroticism, extraversion and conscientiousness features have not predictive value to male music teachers’ actual compatibility with the profession. Openness to experience feature predicts a higher level of female music teachers’ actual compatibility with the profession, but neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness features have not predictive value to female music teachers’ actual compatibility with the profession. The results of the... [to full text]

Visame pasaulyje visuomenė sensta, todėl labai svarbu yra pažinti vyresnio amžiaus žmones. Kad senstant keičiasi fizinis pajėgumas, visi žinome, tačiau nuomonių apie tai, kas vyksta su žmogaus asmenybe, yra įvairių. Mano tyrimo tikslas buvo tirti ir palyginti vyresnio amžiaus žmonių asmenybės savybių ypatumus, priklausomai nuo jų gyvenamosios aplinkos, amžiaus ir lyties. Tyrime buvo naudotas NEO-PI-R klausimynas, sukurtas Costa ir McCrae (1992), kurį sudaro 240 teiginių. Tyrime dalyvavo 132 asmenys: 101 tiriamasis – vyresnio amžiaus žmonės, gyvenantys pensionate, likę 31 tiriamasis – jaunesnio amžiaus žmonės. Dar viena imtis palyginimui buvo paimta iš Vilniaus universiteto Filosofijos fakulteto laboratorijos duomenų bazės – tai 67 vyresnio amžiaus žmonės, gyvenantys namie. Rezultatai parodė, jog gyvenamoji aplinka turi įtakos tam tikriems vyresnio amžiaus žmonių asmenybės bruožams, pavyzdžiui, namie gyvenantys vyresnio amžiaus žmonės yra atviresni patyrimui, o pensionato gyventojai – pažeidžiamesni. Tačiau bruožų, kuriais abi imtys yra panašios, vis dėlto yra daugiau. Taip pat nustatyta, jog nepriklausomai nuo gyvenamosios aplinkos, su amžiumi mažėja priešiškumas ir veikla, o didėja – tiesumo išreikštumas. Tyrimas parodė, jog vyresnio ir jaunesnio amžiaus žmonės skiriais tam tikrai asmenybės bruožais: vyresniems labiau būdingas sutariamumas, depresija, šiluma, pasitikėjimas, tiesumas, nuolaidumas ir kuklumas; jaunesniems labiau būdingas priešiškumas, impulsyvumas ir jausmai... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / In all of the world society is getting older, for that reason it is very important to know seniors better. Everybody knows that people are loosing their physical strength as they get older, but there are many disagreements about what happens with their personalities. The object of the current study was to examine and compare personality features of senior people, depending on their living environment, age and sex. NEO-PI-R questionnaire created by Costa and McCrae (1992) was used in this study, it contains 240 statements. 132 people participated in this study: 101 – nursing home residents, 31 – younger people. More data was taken from Vilnius University Phylosophy faculty laboratory database – it was data about 67 seniors, living at home. The results showed that living environment has influence on some of the seniors’ personality features, for example, seniors who live at home are more open to experience, and nursing home residents are more vulnerable. However personalities of these two groups have more similar traits. The study showed that despite living environment angry hostility and actions decreases with age and straightforwardness increases. Younger and older people differ in these personality traits: for the seniors’ agreeableness, depression, warmth, trust, straightforwardness and modesty are more expressed; for younger people hostility, impulsiveness and feelings are more expressed. Yet conscientiuousness, for example, and all its facets do not depend on age. This... [to full text]