Borderline personality disorder and childhood trauma: Exploring the buffering role of self‐compassion and self‐esteem

2020/10/10 by Sina Pohl, Carolin Steuwe, Verena Mainz +3 · 32 citations
Medicine · Psychology · #Bipolar Disorder and Treatment #Borderline personality disorder #Clinical psychology #Mindfulness #Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions #Personality #Personality Disorders and Psychopathology #Psychology #Self-compassion #Self-esteem

paper · pdf · doi:10.1002/jclp.23070

published in Journal of Clinical Psychology 77(3), 837-845 (Wiley)

openalex publication_date 2020/10/10 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to investigate whether patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) show lower self-compassion and self-esteem than healthy controls and whether patients' self-compassion and self-esteem moderate the association between childhood trauma and the severity of their BPD symptoms. METHOD: Self-reported self-compassion, self-esteem, and the current severity of BPD symptoms were assessed in 35 female patients with BPD and 35 age-matched control participants. Further, traumatic childhood experiences were recorded in the patient group. RESULTS: Patients with BPD reported significantly lower self-compassion and self-esteem compared to healthy controls. In addition, self-compassion but not self-esteem moderated the positive correlation between childhood trauma and the severity of BPD symptoms. DISCUSSION: Self-compassion appears to buffer the negative consequences of childhood traumatization. Therefore, cultivating self-compassion may be an important therapeutic aim for patients with BPD.

Citations

• Resilience in the Face of Catastrophe: Optimism, Personality, and Coping in the Kosovo Crisis

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• Twenty years of research on borderline personality disorder: a scientometric analysis of hotspots, bursts, and research trends. [europepmc]
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• Borderline personality disorder (BPD) features and their relationship with trauma and dissociation among Chinese adolescents: is BPD really a trauma-related disorder? [europepmc]
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