Complex Trauma and Mentalizing Ability in College Students With or Without Borderline Personality Disorder: A Mixed Method Approach
Background: Exposure to complex trauma in early childhood can undermine the development of mentalization capacity. Complex trauma has also been causally linked to borderline personality disorder (BPD). The inclusion of complex post-traumatic stress disorder in ICD-11 has made it imperative to have a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/02537176241246078 |
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| author | Ishita Lamba Shweta Rai Samir Kumar Praharaj Sumita Rege |
| author_facet | Ishita Lamba Shweta Rai Samir Kumar Praharaj Sumita Rege |
| author_sort | Ishita Lamba |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Exposure to complex trauma in early childhood can undermine the development of mentalization capacity. Complex trauma has also been causally linked to borderline personality disorder (BPD). The inclusion of complex post-traumatic stress disorder in ICD-11 has made it imperative to have an in-depth understanding of complex trauma. Methods: This study used an explanatory sequential mixed method approach to assess the complex trauma and mentalizing ability in college students with BPD ( N = 62) in comparison to non-BPD students ( N = 60) and to explore the subjective experiences of complex trauma in students with BPD ( n = 10). Participants in both groups were assessed on the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test to assess complex trauma and mentalizing ability, respectively. Qualitative data were collected through focused interviews using a phenomenological approach. Results: Those with BPD had significantly higher rates of six types of complex trauma as compared to those without BPD; additionally, participants who had experienced sexual abuse performed better on mentalizing tasks than those who had not. The focused interviews revealed several themes, including “perpetrator,” “impact,” “symptoms,” and “strengths,” which indicated intergenerational trauma and hope for post-traumatic growth. Conclusion: Although participants with BPD experienced higher complex trauma, they also had better mentalizing capacities. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-64bfbb23aaa64f2993a84ded5b8d89d0 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0253-7176 0975-1564 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-64bfbb23aaa64f2993a84ded5b8d89d02025-08-20T03:50:48ZengSAGE PublishingIndian Journal of Psychological Medicine0253-71760975-15642025-07-014710.1177/02537176241246078Complex Trauma and Mentalizing Ability in College Students With or Without Borderline Personality Disorder: A Mixed Method ApproachIshita Lamba0Shweta Rai1Samir Kumar Praharaj2Sumita Rege3 Dept. of Clinical Psychology, Manipal College of Health Professions, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India. Manipal College of Health Professions, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India. Dept. of Psychiatry, Kasturba Medical College Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India. Dept. of Occupational Therapy, Manipal College of Health Professions, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India.Background: Exposure to complex trauma in early childhood can undermine the development of mentalization capacity. Complex trauma has also been causally linked to borderline personality disorder (BPD). The inclusion of complex post-traumatic stress disorder in ICD-11 has made it imperative to have an in-depth understanding of complex trauma. Methods: This study used an explanatory sequential mixed method approach to assess the complex trauma and mentalizing ability in college students with BPD ( N = 62) in comparison to non-BPD students ( N = 60) and to explore the subjective experiences of complex trauma in students with BPD ( n = 10). Participants in both groups were assessed on the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test to assess complex trauma and mentalizing ability, respectively. Qualitative data were collected through focused interviews using a phenomenological approach. Results: Those with BPD had significantly higher rates of six types of complex trauma as compared to those without BPD; additionally, participants who had experienced sexual abuse performed better on mentalizing tasks than those who had not. The focused interviews revealed several themes, including “perpetrator,” “impact,” “symptoms,” and “strengths,” which indicated intergenerational trauma and hope for post-traumatic growth. Conclusion: Although participants with BPD experienced higher complex trauma, they also had better mentalizing capacities.https://doi.org/10.1177/02537176241246078 |
| spellingShingle | Ishita Lamba Shweta Rai Samir Kumar Praharaj Sumita Rege Complex Trauma and Mentalizing Ability in College Students With or Without Borderline Personality Disorder: A Mixed Method Approach Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine |
| title | Complex Trauma and Mentalizing Ability in College Students With or Without Borderline Personality Disorder: A Mixed Method Approach |
| title_full | Complex Trauma and Mentalizing Ability in College Students With or Without Borderline Personality Disorder: A Mixed Method Approach |
| title_fullStr | Complex Trauma and Mentalizing Ability in College Students With or Without Borderline Personality Disorder: A Mixed Method Approach |
| title_full_unstemmed | Complex Trauma and Mentalizing Ability in College Students With or Without Borderline Personality Disorder: A Mixed Method Approach |
| title_short | Complex Trauma and Mentalizing Ability in College Students With or Without Borderline Personality Disorder: A Mixed Method Approach |
| title_sort | complex trauma and mentalizing ability in college students with or without borderline personality disorder a mixed method approach |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/02537176241246078 |
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