Neurological soft signs in adolescents with borderline personality traits

Abstract

Objective. This study investigated the prevalence and severity of neurological soft signs (NSS), and their relationships with borderline personality (BP) traits in adolescents. Methods. Eighty-nine adolescents with BP traits (BP-trait group), and 89 adolescents without traits of any personality disorder (control group), were recruited in China. BP traits were diagnosed by the BPD subscale of the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire for the DSM-IV (PDQ-4+). The soft sign subscales of the Cambridge Neurological Inventory were administered to all participants. The group differences in prevalence of soft signs and in NSS scores were analyzed, as well as the associations between the NSS scale and borderline personality traits. Results. Five soft signs were significantly more frequent in adolescents with BP traits. A total of 59.6% of adolescents with BP traits exhibited at least 1 NSS, whereas only 34.8% of adolescents without BP traits did (p < 0.01). A total of 42.7% of adolescents in the BP-trait group exhibited at least 2 NSS, while only 16.9% of adolescents without BP traits did (p < 0.001). Moreover, adolescents with BP traits showed more sensory integration, disinhibition, total neurological soft signs, left-side soft signs, and right-side soft signs, than adolescents without BP traits. Sensory integration and disinhibition were positively associated with BP traits. Conclusion. These findings suggest that adolescents with BP traits may have a nonfocal abnormality of the central nervous system.

Key words::

• Neurological soft signs
• borderline personality
• traits
• adolescents

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Wenbing Gao (Chinese Academy of Sciences), Wenqing Fu (Suzhou University), Yi Huang (Sichuan University), and Jianqun Fang (Ningxia Medical University), for their contribution towards participant recruitment in sites.

Statement of interest

None of the authors reports conflicts of interest.

This study was supported by grants from the National Key Technologies R&D Program in the 11th 5-year plan of China (Grant No. 2009BAI77B02) and from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 81370034).