Childhood experiences associated with the development of borderline personality disorder

Borderline patients have long reported a higher than expected rate of early childhood separations and troubled relationships with their parents. More recent research has highlighted the role of biparental abuse and neglect. However, it has been repeatedly found that sexual abuse is neither necessary nor sufficient for the development of borderline personality disorder. In general, all of the research concerning the etiology of borderline personality disorder is consistent with a multifactorial model. Temperamental factors, difficult childhood experiences, and subtle forms of neurological or biochemical dysfunction have all been found to be characteristic and distinguishing.