Elucidating the Relationship between Borderline Personality Disorder and Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

This was the first research project to examine the established Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) relationship comparing the DSM-5 traditional categorical personality disorder (PD) model with the DSM-5 Alternative Model of Personality Disorder (AMPD). The AMPD is meant to address several limitations of the traditional PD system, and is consistent with how most PD experts considers PDs to be best conceptualised. The specific BPD-relevant AMPD personality traits that influence the BPD-IPV association were also examined, in addition to the associations between BPD symptomology, IPV intervention programme outcomes and recidivism. Study 1 used a sample of 250 community-dwelling men and women recruited through an established crowdsourcing platform, and Study 2 was based on archival data of 531 men who took part in a court-ordered IPV intervention programme. Across both studies, the results showed that both traditional and AMPD BPD operationalisations were approximately equally associated with IPV perpetration, although traditional BPD demonstrated some advantages in regards to psychological IPV. Study 1 indicated that the AMPD trait facets of hostility (negative affectivity), suspiciousness (negative affectivity), and risk-taking (disinhibition) were most strongly associated with IPV perpetration for the total sample, and additional negative affectivity trait facets were also associated with IPV for men only. Study 2 findings showed that the AMPD disinhibition domain was most strongly associated with IPV perpetration, though negative affectivity conferred a meaningful association as well. Study 2 further indicated that IPV offenders with BPD symptomology were at increased risk of failing to complete IPV treatment, and to re-offend in a one year follow up period. Implications for these findings across studies are discussed.