Recent research has linked traumatic experiences with a high degree of betrayal with symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Much of this research has operationalized BPD in terms of diagnostic symptoms, which contrasts with recent approaches to understanding personality disorders (PDs) in terms of maladaptive personality traits. In this study we examine the influence of traumatic experiences with varying levels of betrayal on BPD assessed via maladaptive personality traits in a sample of college students (N = 915) using a Bayesian approach to structural equation modeling. Results suggest that trauma with a high degree of betrayal (high betrayal trauma) was the only credible predictor of BPD traits when other traumatic experiences (medium and low betrayal trauma) were taken into account, and that this effect did not vary across sex. Future research directions and clinical implications are also discussed.
Keywords: Betrayal trauma; DSM classification; borderline; personality disorders.