Validity of A Web-based Measure of Borderline Personality Disorder: A Preliminary Study.

PURPOSE: Early identification of borderline personality disorder (BPD) is important as timely interventions are beneficial and cost-effective. Unrecognized BPD not only results in suffering for individuals and their families, but also leads to considerable social costs. Although web-based measures have the potential to facilitate screening assessment of BPD for research and clinical purposes, little is known about whether the results of web-based measures of BPD are valid. This preliminary study aims to examine the validity of a web-based measure of BPD. METHOD: We analyzed data from five independent samples (N = 828 in total). RESULTS: The web-based BPD measure had a consistent relationship with relevant variables, including trauma exposure, mental well-being, depression, post-traumatic stress, dissociation and psychotic features across samples. It was also strongly correlated with another BPD measure. The web-based BPD measure could discriminate between participants with and without BPD and the discrimination performance was excellent (area under the curve =.853). DISCUSSION: The initial findings suggest that the web-based BPD measure used in the present study is valid and may be helpful for research and screening purposes, although it should be followed up with a more comprehensive assessment in clinical settings. Implications are discussed. Given the limitations in this study, further studies are needed.

Demographic and mental health correlates of childhood emotional abuse and neglect in a Hong Kong sample.

BACKGROUND: Adverse childhood experiences are an important public health issue. It is well documented that they are associated with many health problems. Nevertheless, little is known about childhood emotional abuse and neglect (CEA and CEN) among Hong Kong people. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the demographic and mental health correlates of CEA and CEN in a Hong Kong sample. METHODS: A total of N = 418 Hong Kong adults completed an online survey that included questions regarding demographic information and measures of adverse childhood experiences, depression, anxiety, borderline personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and somatoform dissociation. RESULTS: The rates of CEA and CEN were 43.3 % and 44.5 % respectively in this convenience sample. Both CEA and CEN were associated with poor socioeconomic status. They were also associated with psychiatric service usage and all five types of mental health problems. Both CEA and CEN increased the chance of having mental health problems even after taking into account the effects of other forms of childhood abuse and neglect. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to show that CEA and CEN are significantly associated with poor socioeconomic status and mental health problems in the Hong Kong context. Implications are discussed. Further studies are needed.