Specialized program offers hope for mothers struggling with borderline personality disorder

University of South AustraliaDec 10 2024

Raising children is no easy task, and parents are consistently more likely to report experiencing overwhelming stress compared to other adults.

For some mothers, this stress is exacerbated by the pervasive, often debilitating impacts of borderline personality disorder (BPD), which can lead to feelings of guilt, regret and intense emotional distress.

Researchers from the University of South Australia and the University of Adelaide explored the impacts of a specialized program for mothers with BPD that directly addresses core BPD symptoms.

The Mother-Infant Dialectical Behavior Therapy (MI-DBT) program encouraged participants to consider their child while managing their emotional reactions.

BPD is a mental illness characterized by unstable relationships, emotional instability, impulsive behaviors, and a fragile sense of self that affects up to 27% of mothers after birth.

UniSA Justice and Society researcher, Alexandra Giles, says that interventions targeting both mother and infant are scarce, but that following up with mothers who had completed MI-DBT three years prior revealed how this treatment may help mothers with BPD to develop empathy and emotional regulation skills.

“The skills learned in the MI-DBT program allowed mothers to look beyond their own emotional struggles and focus on their children, providing them with the tools to respond to stressful situations with more thoughtfulness and less haste,” she says.

“Many mothers began to recognize the importance of their role in supporting their children’s emotional development, and the new behaviors formed through the program enabled them to focus more effectively on their role as parents, including both the joys and challenges of motherhood.”

Mothers with BPD can struggle to maintain consistent and sensitive responses, which may result in prioritizing their own needs over their children’s and lead to a sense of guilt and shame about their parenting.

Giles says mothers feeling like they’re not doing enough for their children or that they can’t care for them properly can cause a self-destructive spiral.

It’s important that effective support interventions like the MI-DBT program are easily accessible because we know that this treatment can help.” 

Alexandra Giles, UniSA Justice and Society researcher

“Mothers described how they had a greater capacity to recognize their emotional triggers and an increased understanding and awareness of their disorder, which then led to a desire for change and the intentional adoption of strategies that allowed for healthier, more consistent reactions.

“These mothers want mutual support and solidarity, and so now there’s a need for a dedicated group where they can go to practice the skills they’ve learned in MI-DBT and find strength in others experiencing the same challenges.”