Borderline personality and depressive symptomatology: Common psychosocial predictors and comorbidity

Figures & data

Table 1. Descriptive statistics for important study variables (n = 411)

Variable	M	SD	Minimum	Maximum	α
SCID‐II‐PQ—BPD subscale	3.11	2.81	0	13	.80
DASS‐42—depression scale	8.07	7.75	0	42	.87
PBI—maternal care	27.46	7.75	2	36	.93
PBI—maternal overprotection	13.12	6.56	0	37	.84
PBI—paternal care	23.47	8.42	0	36	.93
PBI—paternal overprotection	11.91	6.77	0	36	.86
YSQ‐SF emotional deprivation	10.36	5.71	5	30	.88
YSQ‐SF abandonment/instability	10.28	5.57	5	30	.93
YSQ‐SF mistrust/abuse	10.73	5.36	5	30	.90
YSQ‐SF defectiveness/shame	8.06	4.46	5	30	.92
YSQ‐SF social isolation	10.89	5.96	5	30	.94
YSQ‐SF dependence/incompetence	8.33	3.84	5	30	.77
YSQ‐SF vulnerability to harm	8.91	4.05	5	25	.81
YSQ‐SF enmeshment	7.33	3.36	5	30	.79
YSQ‐SF failure	9.42	4.56	5	30	.92
YSQ‐SF entitlement/grandiosity	11.73	4.25	5	26	.74
YSQ‐SF insufficient self‐control	12.30	5.03	5	30	.86
YSQ‐SF subjugation	9.55	4.47	5	30	.85
YSQ‐SF self‐sacrifice	16.33	5.15	5	30	.85
YSQ‐SF emotional inhibition	10.74	5.09	5	28	.88
YSQ‐SF unrelenting standards	17.25	6.15	5	30	.89

Note. SCID‐II‐PQ = The Structured Clinical Interview of the DSM Axis II, Personality Questionnaire; DASS‐21 = Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale 21; PBI = Parental Bonding Index; YSQ‐SF = Young Schema Questionnaire‐Short Form.

Table 2. Pearson's correlations between borderline and depressive symptomatology and other study variables

	1	2
1. SCID‐II‐PQ‐ BPD subscale	–	.44**
2. DASS‐21– Depression Scale	.44**	–
3. Age	−.27**	−.09
4. Working status	.09	.14**
5. PBI—maternal care	−.23**	−.31**
6. PBI—maternal overprotection	.17**	.15**
7. PBI—paternal care	−.24**	−.22**
8. PBI—paternal overprotection	.11*	.15**
Disconnection/rejection domain
9. YSQ‐SF emotional deprivation	.31**	.38**
10. YSQ‐SF abandonment/instability	.54**	.39**
11. YSQ‐SF mistrust/abuse	.47**	.43**
12. YSQ‐ SF defectiveness/shame	.41**	.56**
13. YSQ‐ SF social isolation	.42**	.54**
Mean correlation value	.43	.46
Impaired autonomy and performance domain
14. YSQ‐SF dependence/incompetence	.37**	.40**
15. YSQ‐ SF vulnerability to harm	.37**	.38**
16. YSQ‐ SF enmeshment	.23**	.31**
17. YSQ‐ SF failure	.34**	.49**
Mean correlation value	.33	.40
Impaired limits domain
18. YSQ‐ SF entitlement/grandiosity	.20**	.05
19. YSQ‐ SF insufficient self‐control	.39**	.45**
Mean correlation value	.30	.25
Other‐directedness domain
20. YSQ‐ SF subjugation	.44**	.46**
21. YSQ‐ SF self‐sacrifice	.21**	.20**
Mean correlation value	.33	.33
Over vigilance and inhibition domain
22. YSQ ‐ SF emotional inhibition	.33**	.44**
23. YSQ‐ SF unrelenting standards	.11*	.08
Mean correlation value	.22	.26

Note. SCID‐II‐PQ = The Structured Clinical Interview of the DSM Axis II, Personality Questionnaire; DASS‐21 = Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale 21; PBI = Parental Bonding Instrument; YSQ‐SF = Young Schema Questionnaire‐Short Form.

*p < .05 level, two‐tailed; **p < .01 level, two‐tailed.

Table 3. Unique variance for the significant psychosocial antecedents of borderline and depressive symptomatology

	BPD symptomatology	Depressive symptomatology
	β	β
Maternal care		−.23**
Paternal care	−.15*
Disconnection/rejection domain
Abandonment	.33**
Mistrust/abuse	.13*
Defectiveness shame		.19*
Social isolation		.21**
Impaired autonomy domain
Failure		.21**
Enmeshment	−.12*
Impaired limits domain
Insufficient self‐control	.11*	.18**
Entitlement	.13*

*p < .05 level, two‐tailed; **p < .01 level, two‐tailed.

Table 4. Comorbidity between borderline personality and depressive symptomatology

	Depressive symptomatology
	Normal	Mild	Moderate	Severe	Very severe
Borderline
Symptomatology
Below the median	163 (80.3%)	19 (9.4%)	17 (8.4%)	2 (1%)	2 (1%)
Above the median	115 (56.1%)	24 (11.7%)	36 (17.6%)	18 (8.8%)	12 (5.9%)

Note. Above the median refers to respondents scoring 3 or more SCID‐II‐PQ BPD items.