Does Childhood Trauma Cause Personality Disorders in Adults?

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between trauma in childhood and personality disorders in adulthood. METHOD: A review of the literature was conducted. RESULTS: The reported associations between trauma and personality pathology are illuminated by the following research findings: 1) personality is heritable; 2) only a minority of patients with severe personality disorders report childhood trauma; and 3) children are generally resilient, and traumatic experiences do not consistently lead to psychopathology. CONCLUSIONS: The role of trauma in the personality disorders is best understood in the context of gene-environment interactions.