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Background The study examines the psychometric properties of the French version of the McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (MSI-BPD) created by M. Zanarini to screen borderline personality disorder in clinical and non-clinical populations. Method In this multicentric longitudinal study from the European Network on Borderline Personality Disorder, a sample of 84 adolescent patients from five psychiatric centres and 85 matched controls without psychiatric comorbidity completed the MSI-BPD, French version, and were interviewed with the Structured Interview for DSM-IV Personality (SIDP-IV), in order to assess the presence or absence of borderline personality disorder. Results The MSI-BPD showed excellent internal consistency (α = 0.87 [0.84;0.90]). Compared to the semi-structured reference interview (SIDP-IV), the MSI-BPD showed substantial congruent validity (AUC = 0.93, CI 95%: 0.90–0.97). The optimal cut-off point in the present study was 5 or more, as it had relatively high sensitivity (0.87) and specificity (0.85). In our sample, the cut-off point (7 or more) proposed by the original developers of the MSI-BPD showed high specificity (0.95) but low sensitivity (0.63). Conclusions The French version of the MSI-BPD is now available, and its psychometric properties are satisfactory. The French version of the MSI-PBD can be used as a screening tool for borderline personality disorder, for clinical purposes or in research studies.

BackgroundDistinguishing between symptoms of schizotypal (SPD) and borderline personality disorders (BPD) is often difficult due to their partial overlap and frequent co-occurrence. We investigated correlations in self-reported symptoms of SPD and BPD in questionnaires at the levels of both total scores and individual items, examining overlapping dimensions.MethodsTwo questionnaires, the McLean Screening Instrument (MSI) for BPD and the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire Brief (SPQ-B) for SPD, were filled in by patients with mood disorders (n = 282) from specialized psychiatric care in a study of the Helsinki University Psychiatric Consortium. Correlation coefficients between total scores and individual items of the MSI and SPQ-B were estimated. Multivariate regression analysis (MRA) was conducted to examine the relationships between SPQ-B and MSI.ResultsThe Spearman's correlation between total scores of the MSI and SPQ-B was strong (rho = 0.616, P < 0.005). Items of MSI reflecting disrupted relatedness and affective dysregulation correlated moderately (rφ varied between 0.2 and 0.4, P < 0.005) with items of SPQ. Items of MSI reflecting behavioural dysregulation correlated only weakly with items of SPQ. In MRA, depressive symptoms, sex and MSI were significant predictors of SPQ-B score, whereas symptoms of anxiety, age and SPQ-B were significant predictors of MSI score.ConclusionsItems reflecting cognitive-perceptual distortions and affective symptoms of BPD appear to overlap with disorganized and cognitive-perceptual symptoms of SPD. Symptoms of depression may aggravate self-reported features of SPQ-B, and symptoms of anxiety features of MSI. Symptoms of behavioural dysregulation of BPD and interpersonal deficits of SPQ appear to be non-overlapping.

This study investigated unwanted pursuit behavior (UPB) perpetration in 631 adult ex-partners. UPB involves the unwanted pursuit of intimacy, a widespread and usually less severe form of stalking. The occurrence and various risk factors of UPB perpetration were examined, accounting for differences between male and female ex-partners and same- and opposite-gender ex-partners. Ex-partners showed on average five to six UPBs after their separation. Male and female and same- and opposite-gender ex-partners displayed an equal number of UPBs. The number of perpetrated UPBs was explained by breakup characteristics (ex-partner initiation of the breakup and rumination or cognitive preoccupation with the ex-partner), relationship characteristics (anxious attachment in the former relationship), and individual perpetrator characteristics (borderline traits and past delinquent behaviors). Rumination was a stronger predictor in female than male ex-partners. Borderline traits and anxious attachment positively predicted UPB perpetration in opposite-gender but not in same-gender ex-partners. Implications of these findings are discussed.