Table 1

Demographic characteristics of patients with borderline personality disorder and healthy controls

Group; mean (SD)
CharacteristicBPDControlt61p value*
Age, yr23.7 (4.6)24.4 (4.1)−0.690.49
Education, school yr11.8 (1.6)12.0 (1.4)−1.180.66
IQ112.4 (12.2)112.7 (10.9)−0.110.91
GAF score69.3 (8.57)100 (0.0)−5.83< 0.001
Intracranial volume, mL1338.0 (121.1)1378.2 (116.7)−0.730.19
BPD criteria, IPDE score6.9 (1.4)0.0 (0.0)8.84< 0.001
BDI score24.3 (12.9)5.7 (8.7)6.75< 0.001
BIS score62.2 (13.9)60.8 (4.7)0.710.48
BSL score1.6 (0.9)0.1 (0.2)9.27< 0.001
CTQ score56.2 (17.5)30.6 (7.5)7.65< 0.001
FAF score
 Spontaneous aggression3.9 (2.9)1.4 (2.1)4.12< 0.001
 Reactive aggression3.9 (2.2)1.4 (1.6)5.21< 0.001
 Irritability7.7 (3.4)3.6 (2.7)5.46< 0.001
 Self-aggression7.7 (2.8)1.9 (2.6)8.71< 0.001
 Inhibition5.5 (2.0)5.5 (1.9)0.160.87
 Openness6.8 (1.7)4.3 (2.2)5.04< 0.001
 Aggression sum15.6 (7.2)6.3 (5.497)5.79< 0.001
STAXI score
 Anger temperament11.8 (4.3)7.9 (3.0)4.29< 0.001
 Anger reaction12.3 (4.2)8.2 (2.8)4.65< 0.001
 Anger, in20.7 (6.5)13.7 (4.6)5.05< 0.001
 Anger, out15.1 (5.3)10.5 (3.0)4.29< 0.001
 Anger, control19.9 (5.3)24.0 (3.8)−3.56< 0.001
  • BDI = Beck Depression Inventory; (21) BIS = Barratt Impulsiveness Scale; (22) BPD = borderline personality disorder; BSL = Borderline Symptom List; (23) CTQ = Childhood Trauma Questionnaire; (24) FAF = Questionnaire for the Assessment of Factors of Aggression; (25) GAF = Global Assessment Functioning; (26) IPDE = International Disorder Examination for DSM–IV; (27) SD = standard deviation; STAXI = State–Trait Anger Inventory. (28)

  • * Uncorrected for multiple comparisons.

  • Hamburg–Wechsler Intelligence Test. (29)