Background: Aggression is often described as a key feature of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Yet, it is not clear what contributes to...Show moreBackground: Aggression is often described as a key feature of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Yet, it is not clear what contributes to aggression in these disorders. Previous literature proposes that experiences of childhood maltreatment might be an underlying cause. In this study, it was investigated if childhood maltreatment severity predicts aggression and if this depends on the diagnosis. Methods: The sample consisted of 96 women, diagnosed with BPD (N=30), ADHD (N= 28) or none of these disorders (N=30) based on semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. The Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (AQ) measured aggression and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) assessed childhood trauma severity. Hypotheses were tested with correlational, moderation and multivariate analyses. Results: Group differences in aggression and childhood trauma severity were observed. Both psychopathological groups reported higher aggression and childhood trauma. Severity of BPD correlating the strongest with childhood trauma severity, followed by ADHD. Furthermore, aggression and childhood trauma were correlated. Yet, childhood trauma was not a significant moderator for aggression in BPD versus ADHD groups. Discussion: Findings suggest that childhood trauma is a predictor for aggression but this does not differ between the psychopathological groups. Since aggression was linked to a diagnosis of BPD, higher levels of aggression in BPD might not be restricted to childhood trauma severity but also influenced by other factors, such as impaired emotion regulation. Future studies should investigate this further, avoiding current limitations such as the cross-sectional design, self-report questionnaires, possible multicollinearity between variables and the small sample size.Show less
