The Aetiological and Psychopathological Validity of Borderline Personality Disorder in Childhood and Adolescence: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Abstract

IntroductionDespite an expanding body of research pertaining to Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) in child and adolescent populations, controversy remains regarding the validity of youth BPD.ObjectivesTo determine the aetiological and psychopathological validity of youth BPD.MethodsElectronic databases were searched for studies examining the aetiological (i.e., the extent to which youth and adult BPD share common risk factors) and psychopathological (i.e., the extent to which youth and adult BPD share common symptoms and associated behaviours) validity of BPD in populations under 18 years of age. Forty-three studies were identified satisfying the predetermined inclusion criteria for meta..