Borderline Personality Pathology Mediates Associations Between Childhood Physical Abuse, Inflammation, and Health

The link between early life stress and later health may be partially attributable to adversity-related changes in behavior (e.g., borderline personality traits, health behavior) and inflammation (e.g., interleukin 6, c-reactive protein). Among 1,630 older adults enrolled in the St. Louis Personality and Aging Network (SPAN) Study, higher borderline personality traits, lower health behaviors, and greater inflammation serially mediated the negative association between childhood physical abuse and general health. Interplay between behavioral and biological pathways represent plausible mechanisms through which physical abuse experienced in childhood influence physical health in later adulthood.