Borderline personality disorder in mothers, maternal sensitivity, and infant social withdrawal: a study on clinical dyads referred to perinatal mental health units

ABSTRACTBehavioural, cognitive and emotional dysregulation related to parent borderline personality disorder (BPD) may have a major impact on parent–infant interactions. We investigated the ways in which infant social withdrawal and mother sensitivity may be associated to a BPD diagnosis in mothers. Two groups of clinic-referred mother–infant dyads were set up: one in which consulting mothers were diagnosed with BPD. Infant social withdrawal and maternal sensitivity were assessed during free-play interactions videotaped within a clinical setting. Mothers with BPD showed lower maternal sensitivity, while their infants displayed higher levels of social withdrawal behaviour when compared to dyads with no maternal psychiatric diagnosis. Infants of mothers with BPD appear at particular risk of adverse developmental outcomes from their very first months of life. Early interventions should concentrate on improving maternal interpretation and response to infant cues, such as identifying nonverbal behaviours and regulating the infant’s emotional states, and on promoting mentalization.KEYWORDS: Borderline personality disorderearly interactionmaternal sensitivityinfant social withdrawal Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Additional informationNotes on contributorsJaqueline WendlandJaqueline Wendland, Full Professor of infant and perinatal clinical psychology and psychopathology at the Institute of Psychology, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France. She works as a clinical psychologist and supervisor at the Vivaldi Parent-Infant Mental Health Unit at the Pitié-Salpêtrière University Hospital in Paris. Her research focuses mainly on the parenting process in its typical and atypical aspects, particularly in situations where the parent-child interactions are exposed to psychopathological, psychosocial and/or somatic risk factors.Charlotte CastelnauCharlotte Castelnau is a clinical psychologist trained in attachment and parenting. She works in childcare centres in Noisy le Roi and Guyancourt, France.Alexandra DéprezAlexandra Déprez is Doctor of Psychology, head of the b-families consultation, training and expertise center, in Luxemburg.Didier RabainDidier Rabain is a child and adolescent psychiatrist, specialized in perinatal psychopathology. He is the former head of the Vivaldi Parent-Infant and Parenthood Unit, Pitié-Salpêtrière University Hospital, in Paris, France.Claire de CarmantrandClaire de Carmantrand is a child and adolescent psychiatrist. She is the head of the COLIBRI Parent-Infant Unit, Plaisir Hospital, in Saint-Cyr l'Ecole, France.Antoine GuédeneyAntoine Guédeney is Professor Emeritus of child and adolescent psychiatry at Université Paris Cité. He si the former head of the Department of child and adolescent psychiatry, Bichat University Hospital, in Paris, France.