Table 1 Studies included in the revision with relevant information about the possible role of childhood traumas in the relationship between childhood Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and adult Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
Study | Size and election sample | Type of study | Targeted sample | Healthy control group | Assessment instrument | Main findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Philipsen et al. 2008 [14] | BPD outpatients N = 118 women | Cross-sectional | Clinical study | No | WURS ADHD-CL SCID-I IPDE BSL CTQ | A significant association is described between childhood ADHD, childhood emotional abuse, and severity symptoms in women with BPD. Childhood ADHD may be considered a risk factor that predisposes to BPD development in the adulthood. |
Prada et al. 2014 [24] | Outpatients N = 114 ADHD N = 99 BPD N = 67 BPD-ADHD | Cross-sectional | Clinical study | N = 415 | SCID-II WURS ASRS v.11 CTQ BIS-10 STAXI LHA BDI-II BHS WHOQOL-BREF QFS | Compared with adult ADHD, adult BPD patients showed a higher number of childhood trauma. |
Ferrer et al. 2017 [23] | Outpatients N = 82 BPD N = 22 ADHD N = 56 BPD-ADHD N = 44 No BPD-No ADHD | Cross-sectional | Clinical study | No | SCID-II DIB-R CTQ-SF CADDID WURS | Adult BPD patients with a comorbid ADHD presented the highest number of childhood trauma experiences. Childhood emotional and sexual abuse was associated to BPD diagnosis in the adulthood, with and without comorbid ADHD. The risk of developing an adult BPD in childhood ADHD could be associated to specific early traumas. |
Dalbudak and Evren, 2015 [25] | Volunteer university students N = 271 | Cross-sectional | Non-clinical study | No | BPI ASRS CTQ-28 BDI BAI | Depressive symptoms, emotional and physical abuse and severity of ADHD symptoms in adulthood were associated to severity of borderline personality features (BPF). These variables may play a mediator role on the relationship between childhood ADHD and adult BPF. |