Antisocial traits and neuroticism as predictors of suicidal behaviour in borderline personality disorder: A retrospective study

Introduction

The spectrum of suicidal behaviour (SB) is nuclear in the clinic and management of borderline personality disorder (BPD). The pathological personality traits of BPD intervene as risk factors for SB in confluence with other clinical and sociodemographic variables associated with BPD. The objective of this work is to evaluate the specific personality traits of BPD that are related to SB.

Methods

A cross-sectional, observational and retrospective study was carried out on a sample of 134 patients diagnosed with BPD according to DSM-5 criteria. The Millon-II, Zuckerman–Kuhlman and Barrat questionnaires were used to assess different personality parameters. Variable comparisons were made using the χ² test and the Student’s t-test. The association between variables was analysed using multivariate logistic regression.

Results

Statistically significant differences were observed between SB and related factors and the neuroticism-anxiety dimension in the Zuckerman–Kuhlman test. It is also significantly related to the phobic and antisocial subscale of the Millon-II. Impulsivity measured with the Zuckerman–Kuhlman and Barrat tests does not appear to be related to SB.

Conclusions

The results presented raise the role of phobic, antisocial and neuroticism traits as possible personality traits of BPD related to SB, suggesting an even greater importance within the relationship between BPD and SB than that of impulsivity. Looking to the future, longitudinal studies would increase the scientific evidence for the specified findings.