Caregiver Mentalization and Emotional Invalidation as Contextual Risk Factors for Adolescent Borderline Personality Disorder

This thesis examined the role of interpersonal caregiving factors in borderline personality disorder (BPD) during the adolescent developmental period. Based on developmental models of BPD, emotional responding and social cognition in caregivers of adolescents with BPD were explored. Results identified relative impairments in caregivers’ capacity to understand, respond to and regulate adolescent mental states. Impairments in these domains were directly and indirectly related to adolescent borderline personality pathology. Results from this thesis extend empirical findings from adult BPD patients to adolescent populations, and further understanding of developmental variables associated with borderline personality disorder.