Relational Health as a Mediator Between Betrayal Trauma and Borderline Personality Disorder

Abstract

A frequently studied hypothesized cause of borderline personality disorder (BPD) is experiencing interpersonal trauma. A recent study by L. A. Kaehler and J. J. Freyd (2009) found a connection between betrayal trauma and BPD characteristics, with higher betrayal traumas associated with greater BPD characteristics. The present study seeks to expand upon that study by investigating relational health as a potential mediator for the association between betrayal trauma and BPD. A sample of 165 college students completed measures of betrayal trauma life events, relational health, and BPD traits. Mediation analyses showed significant partial mediation for total relational health (bootstrap coefficient = .0168) and its community subscale (bootstrap coefficient = .0204); however, significant mediating effects for the mentor and friend subscales were not found. Given the significant finding for only the community subscale, which may be driving the total relational health effect seen, the results suggest that connection with a valued community may be an important protective factor for BPD after one experiences betrayal trauma.

Keywords:

• borderline personality disorder
• relational health
• betrayal trauma
• trauma
• relationships