Recollections of parental bonding among women with borderline personality disorder as compared with women with anorexia nervosa and a control group

In this study, we investigated the behaviour of parents of women with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and anorexia nervosa (AN) with the three-factor Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). Thirty-five women with BPD, 34 with AN, and 33 without any psychiatric illness (NC) scored each parent’s level of care, denial of behavioural control and denial of psychological autonomy. All participants reported receiving more maternal than paternal care. However, women with BPD reported very low levels of biparental care and significantly more paternal denial of behavioural freedom. Those with AN experienced more maternal denial of behavioural freedom. In terms of maternal bonding, lack of maternal care was the only factor to predict BPD; in contrast, for paternal bonding, a combination of father’s lack of care and denial of behavioural freedom predicted BPD.