Demographic characteristics and cognitive testing scores*
| Characteristic | Adolescents with borderline personality disorder n = 50 | Healthy controls n = 21 | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex, male/femal | 23/27 (46.0/54.0) | 7/14 (33.3/66.7) | 0.32 |
| Age, yr | 14.6 ± 1.1 | 14.0 ± 1.2 | 0.62 |
| Education, yr | 9.5 ± 1.1 | 8.9 ± 1.1 | 0.74 |
| Age at onset, yr | 12.0 [11.0–13.0] | – | – |
| Duration of illness, yr | 3.0 [2.0–3.0] | – | – |
| Intelligence quotient | 110.0 [103.0–114.0] | 106.0 [100.0–112.5] | 0.08 |
| Borderline Personality Features Scale, score | 83.0 [74.8–96.3] | 31.0 [28.5–35.5] | < 0.001† |
| Family history of mental disorders | 26 (52.0) | 0 (0.0) | < 0.001† |
| Medications | |||
| Atypical antipsychotics | 5 (10.0) | – | – |
| Antidepressants | 10 (20.0) | – | – |
| Mood stabilizers | < 5‡ | – | – |
| Comorbidity | |||
| Obsessive–compulsive disorder | < 5‡ | – | – |
| Generalized anxiety disorder | < 5‡ | – | – |
| Cognitive testing, score | |||
| Stroop Colour–Word Test A | 85.0 [76.0–100.0] | 68.0 [57.0–75.5] | < 0.001† |
| Stroop Colour–Word Test B | 60.0 [53.8–68.0] | 89.0 [82.0–93.5] | < 0.001† |
| Stroop Colour–Word Test C | 35.5 [30.0–42.0] | 41.0 [32.5–51.0] | 0.034§ |
| Trail-Making Test A | 31.0 [26.0–34.0] | 31.5 [24.8–46.3] | 0.24 |
| Trail-Making Test B | 68.0 [58.0–88.0] | 81.5 [56.8–104.3] | 0.18 |
| Digit Span Subtest A | 9.0 [8.0–10.0] | 9.0 [8.0–9.5] | 0.67 |
| Digit Span Subtest B | 4.5 [3.8–5.0] | 5.0 [5.0–6.5] | 0.004¶ |
↵* Data are presented as n (%), mean ± standard deviation, or median [interquartile range].
↵† Significant difference between groups at p < 0.001.
↵‡ To protect participant privacy, findings of n < 5 have been rounded.
↵§ Significant difference between groups at p < 0.05.
↵¶ Significant difference between groups at p < 0.01.