Intergenerational transmission of borderline personality disorder features, shame, and non-suicidal self-injury through perceived parental invalidation

While previous research suggests that borderline personality disorder (BPD) features may be transmitted from mothers to children through maladaptive parenting, little is known about the effect of the invalidating family environment, a critical etiological factor for BPD. Besides, there is a lack of research on fathers’ influence and the impact of parental BPD traits on adolescent shame and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). This study aimed to examine the mediating role of perceived parental invalidation in the intergenerational transmission of maternal and paternal BPD features on adolescent BPD features, shame, and NSSI using path analysis models. Participants were a community sample of 142 father-adolescent dyads and 320 mother-adolescent dyads in China. Adolescents completed measures of their BPD features, perceived parental invalidation, sense of shame, and NSSI frequency, while parents reported their BPD features. Path analyses were conducted to investigate the direct and indirect effects of paternal and maternal BPD features on offspring outcomes via perceived parental invalidation, respectively. Perceived paternal invalidation was significantly associated with offspring BPD features, shame, and lifetime NSSI frequency. The effects of maternal BPD features on offspring BPD features and NSSI frequency were significant both directly and indirectly through perceived maternal invalidation as a mediator, but the relationship between maternal BPD features and offspring shame was fully mediated by maternal invalidation. This study provides initial evidence that BPD features of mothers are transmitted to offspring BPD features, shame, and NSSI via perceived maternal invalidation, while there was no effect of fathers’ BPD features. The research and practical implications of the study were discussed.