Borderline Personality Disorder and Religion: A ‎perspective from a Muslim country

Background: There are still ‎many unanswered questions ‎about psychological and social ‎factors that may affect the ‎development and treatment of ‎borderline personality disorder ‎‎(BPD). Religion/spirituality (R/S) ‎is a factor that could influence the ‎lives of people with BPD‏. ‏ Objective: The aim of this study ‎was to evaluate the relationship ‎between religiosity, religious ‎attendance and borderline ‎personality traits‏.‏ Method: Four hundred twenty- ‎nine medical students of Tehran ‎University of medical sciences ‎participated in this study, and ‎their information on ‎demographics, responses to the ‎Duke University Religion Index ‎‎(DUREL), and the Structured ‎Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis ‎II Disorders (the self-‎administered section on BPD) ‎was obtained‏. ‏ Results: The total score of SCID-‎II questionnaire and the number ‎of positive borderline personality ‎characteristics on the SCID-II ‎were inversely related with the ‎DUREL total score and individual ‎DUREL items. Those with higher ‎levels of borderline personality ‎traits had lower total DUREL ‎score and lower DUREL subscale ‎scores‏.‏ Conclusion: Religiosity and ‎religious attendance are ‎negatively correlated with ‎borderline personality traits, ‎especially with anger, instability ‎of mood, feeling of emptiness ‎and self-harming behaviors. ‎These findings are important for ‎understanding the causes of BPD ‎and in developing treatments for ‎this disorder.‎