Borderline personality traits and emotion recognition in a non-clinical sample: the role of childhood neglect and abuse.

Abstract

Background: Borderline personality symptoms are often associated with social-cognitive impairments, but the impact of childhood trauma on emotional processing remains poorly understood. This study explored the moderating role of childhood abuse and neglect in the relationship between borderline traits and emotion recognition.

Methods: A total of 216 non-clinical adults first completed self-report measures, including the Borderline Personality Disorder subscale of the Coolidge Axis-II Inventory and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. They then performed a facial emotion recognition task involving five expressions-neutral, anger, happiness, sadness, and fear-with all but neutral shown at low and moderate intensity levels. Emotion recognition was evaluated in terms of accuracy, response latency, and misattribution patterns.

Results: While no direct associations emerged between borderline traits and recognition accuracy for specific emotional expressions, higher trait levels were linked to increased misidentification of neutral faces and greater misattribution of anger. Additionally, childhood neglect and abuse moderated the effects of borderline traits on emotion recognition, with neglect altering responses to neutral and low-intensity happy cues, and abuse to subtle anger. A general pattern of emotional hypersensitivity was observed among participants who reported low levels of trauma, reflected in greater misinterpretation of neutral expressions and improved recognition of subtle emotional cues; as self-reported trauma levels increased, this pattern tended to diminish or even reverse. Considered alongside response time and misattribution patterns, the findings suggest avoidance and disengagement tendencies in emotional processing under severe trauma.

Conclusions: In conclusion, when childhood abuse and neglect accompany BPD symptoms, emotion processing may demand nuanced clinical attention tailored to trauma-related dynamics.