Executive Function and Social Cognition in Children and Adolescents with Borderline Personality Features

Abstract

Models of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) highlight a role of environmental and neurocognitive developmental risk factors, yet empirical research into the developmental trajectory of this disorder is limited. The primary aim of the current thesis was to investigate associations between borderline personality features (BPF) and the neurocognitive domains of executive function and social cognition in late childhood and early adolescence. Previous research has identified high risk of comorbidity between BPD and internalizing and externalizing disorders of childhood. Therefore, a secondary aim of the current study was to examine neurocognitive performance controlling for overlapping symptoms of childhood psychopathology. A mixed clinical and community sample of 81 children and adolescents, aged between 10-14, completed a comprehensive web-based neurocognitive battery that examined the following cognitive domains; executive function, attention, memory and social cognition. Results indicated a non-significant trend of BPF predicting performance on an EF task of cognitive inhibition; however this trend disappeared when internalizing and externalizing symptoms of emotional problems, conduct problems and hyperactivity/inattention were controlled. Furthermore the results of the current study indicated a non-significant trend in delayed memory performance for individuals with BPF and non-significant trends of BPF as a predictor of emotion recognition; where older participants with BPF displayed reduced accuracy in identifying anger but enhanced accuracy for the identification of sadness. In addition, age was found to be related to reduced accuracy in identifying happiness, but only in participants with higher levels of BPF. These deficits were found to be independent of internalizing and externalizing symptoms. The current study provides preliminary evidence of neurocognitive deficits in children and adolescents with sub-threshold symptoms of BPD.