Attachment representations and emerging borderline personality features in school-aged children under youth protective care, consulting psychologists or child psychiatrists, and from the general population

Background

The development of borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by failures in the relationships between the child and their attachment figures, including maltreatment. The relationship between attachment and BPD in adulthood is empirically established. Fonagy and his colleagues theoretically describe the role of attachment in the development of the borderline functioning. Although studies show that maltreated children are more likely to exhibit emerging borderline personality features (EBPF), no research has investigated the relationship between attachment and EBPF during childhood.

Objective

This correlational study aims to verify the relationship between the attachment representations and EBPF during childhood.

Participants

One hundred and sixteen children aged 7 to 12 were interviewed, including 35 under protective care, 42 consulting psychologists or child psychiatrists, and 39 from the general population.

Methods

The Child Attachment Interview, a semi-structured interview about relationships with care figures, and the Attachment Story Stems, a semi-structured play activity, assessed attachment representations. A self-administered questionnaire measured EBPF.

Results

As noted in studies involving adults with BPD, the results indicate that children with insecure attachment representations, both towards the mother and the father, present a higher EBPF score. Increased EBPF is significantly associated with decreased supportive maternal and paternal behaviours, increased rejecting maternal behaviours and dysregulated behaviours in semi-structured play.

Conclusions

This study is the first to empirically establish the relationship between attachment and EBPF during childhood. The results support the importance of early identification of EBPF in children under protective care to intervene and prevent the disorder in adulthood.