Childhood trauma and Axis I disorders in borderline personality disorder: a correlational study

Abstract Background Axis 1 disorders often occur in combination with borderline personality disorders (BPD), which complicates treatment and diagnosis. Also, childhood trauma is found to be an underlying factor in patients with BPD. Considering the various statistics and the importance of accompaniment, this study aims to determine the prevalence of Axis 1 disorders in BPD and evaluate the association with childhood trauma. Materials and methods In this descriptive-analytical study, 239 patients with BPD were examined among patients referred to the psychiatric hospital in Sari, North of Iran. To confirm the diagnosis, the semi-structured clinical interview for DSM-IV (SCID-1) was performed, and the history of childhood trauma was assessed with the Early Trauma Inventory-Self Report. Data after collection was entered into SPSS software and using descriptive statistics like absolute and relative abundance. Mean and standard deviation and inferential statistics were analyzed. Results The prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) was 59.8%, obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) 53.1%, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) 17.6%, and phobias 23.4% in BPD. There was also a significant association between childhood emotional trauma and MDD ( P = 0.03) and substance use disorder (SUD, P = 0.008), neglect trauma with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD, P = 0.03), phobia ( P = 0.001) and GAD ( P = 0.02), and physical and sexual trauma with SUD ( P = 0.02). Conclusion Axis 1 disorders are common in patients with BPD. Childhood trauma with its effects on the brain of children and adolescents can lead to chronic disabilities in coping with arousal fluctuations and consequently to increased emotional disturbances including BPD and depression, which in turn leads to self-injurious behavior.