Multifinality in the development of personality disorders: a Biology x Sex x Environment interaction model of antisocial and borderline traits.Beauchaine TP, Klein DN, Crowell SE, Derbidge C, Gatzke-Kopp L.
Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-1525, USA.
tbeaucha@u.washington.edu AbstractAlthough antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is more common among males and borderline PD (BPD) is more common among females, some authors have suggested that the two disorders reflect multifinal outcomes of a single etiology. This assertion is based on several overlapping symptoms and features, including trait impulsivity, emotional lability, high rates of depression and suicide, and a high likelihood of childhood abuse and/or neglect. Furthermore, rates of ASPD are elevated in the first degree relatives of those with BPD, and concurrent comorbidity rates for the two disorders are high. In this article, we present a common model of antisocial and borderline personality development. We begin by reviewing issues and problems with diagnosing and studying PDs in children and adolescents. Next, we discuss dopaminergic and serotonergic mechanisms of trait impulsivity as predisposing vulnerabilities to ASPD and BPD. Finally, we extend shared risk models for ASPD and BPD by specifying genetic loci that may confer differential vulnerability to impulsive aggression and mood dysregulation among males and impulsive self-injury and mood dysregulation among females. Although the precise mechanisms of these sex-moderated genetic vulnerabilities remain poorly understood, they appear to interact with environmental risk factors including adverse rearing environments to potentiate the development of ASPD and BPD.
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And here's the article in full (took awhile to find it, but persistence wins out occasionally!) I'll only post a short excerpt to honor their copyright. Plus, if you read the article online, you can follow the numerous imbedded links. This is a great article for those who question the etiology of Personality disorders: nature or nurture.
The Narcissistic Personality Disorder is one of the Cluster B disorders on the AxisII. Even though ASPD (antisocial personality disorder) and BPD (borderline personality disorder) are being discussed, you can include the NPD in the same category.
Hugs,
CZ
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From the article:"...All of these findings are derived from symptom patterns and life histories of individuals with ASPD, individuals with BPD, and their family members. However, in the last decade much more has been learned about the molecular genetics and neurobiology of ASPD, BPD, and related traits, providing for a more comprehensive account of common vulnerabilities and risk factors for both disorders. Our primary objective in writing this article is to provide an updated model of shared etiology for ASPD and BPD that accounts for both biological vulnerabilities and environmental risk. Taken together, literature addressing the development of these personality disorders (PDs) supports the following set of conjectures, which we present here as an organizing framework for the remainder of this article:
Both ASPD and BPD are disorders for which trait impulsivity is the principal predisposing vulnerability.
Trait impulsivity derives primarily from heritable compromises in central dopaminergic and serotonergic function.
For both disorders, impulsivity is potentiated by high risk family environments in which emotional lability is shaped and maintained by operant reinforcement contingencies.
Over time, these reinforcement contingencies result in enduring patterns of emotion dysregulation—leading to ASPD and/or BPD in vulnerable individuals.
Sex effects moderate the behavioral expression of Biology × Environment interactions to produce ASPD disproportionately in males, and BPD disproportionately in females..."
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