Childhood maltreatment and suicidality among women seeking mental health care: the mediating effect of borderline personality features, moderated by age

ABSTRACT

Although childhood maltreatment is known to elevate women’s risk for suicidal ideation and behavior, research concerning the mechanisms involved remains limited. While borderline personality disorder (BPD) has been implicated as mediating this association, such effects may differ depending on women’s age. The present study examined borderline personality features as a dispositional mediator of the relationship between childhood maltreatment and suicidality, with the moderating effect of age, among help-seeking women. A sample of 151 women attending community mental health clinics completed measures of childhood maltreatment, BPD features, suicidality, and psychological distress. Regression analyses tested moderated mediation, controlling for psychological distress across each path. Results indicated a significant interaction between childhood maltreatment and age in predicting borderline personality features, and significant moderated mediation in predicting suicidality. Borderline personality features significantly mediated the association between maltreatment and suicidality among younger––but not among older––women, with the mediation effect becoming stronger as women were younger. The findings indicate borderline personality features as particularly salient among young women in accounting for the maltreatment-suicidality association. Thus, interventions addressing BPD may warrant consideration for young women with suicidal ideation and history of childhood adversity.

KEYWORDS:

• Age
• borderline personality disorder
• childhood maltreatment
• suicide
• women

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

Preparation of this manuscript was supported by a Scholar Award, #18317, awarded to Dr. David Kealy by the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research.