Perceived Parental Rejection, Psychological Maladjustment, and Borderline Personality Disorder

Most of the diagnostic criteria and characteristics of borderline personality disorder (BPD) appear to be among the known and theoretically expectable correlates of perceived parental rejection, as specified in parental acceptance-rejection theory (PARTheory). Accordingly the present research tested and confirmed two hypotheses. The first was that women diagnosed with BPD tend to perceive significantly more parental, especially paternal, rejection in their childhoods than do nonclinical diagnosed women. The second was that women diagnosed with BPD would score significantly higher than do nonclini-cal women on the specific profile of psychological maladjustment theoretically associated with perceived rejection. The sample included 35 women, 17 of whom were diagnosed with BPD. All participants responded to the mother and father versions of the adult Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire. Psychological maladjustment of the form, theoretically associated with perceived rejection, was assessed by the adult version of the Personality Assessment Questionnaire. The results indicated that those diagnosed with BPD perceived more paternal rejection, but not necessarily maternal rejection, and scored significantly higher on the psychological maladjustment as postulated by PARTheory than the comparison group.