Childhood emotional and physical maltreatment and borderline personality disorder features in adolescence: A dual-model examination of mediation and moderation via secure and insecure attachment

Findings suggest distinct patterns of association between emotional and physical maltreatment and adolescent BPF: emotional maltreatment was associated with BPF primarily through attachment-related pathways, whereas physical maltreatment was directly associated with BPF. Moreover, attachment security was not uniformly protective: higher confidence was linked to stronger maltreatment-BPF associations, whereas higher avoidance was linked to weaker associations. These results support maltreatment-specific, attachment-informed screening and intervention strategies in adolescence.