Impulsivity and its association with childhood trauma experiences across bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and borderline personality disorder

Hélène Richard-Lepouriel, Anne Lise Kung, Roland Hasler, Frank Bellivier, Paco Prada, Sébastien Gard, Stefano Ardu, Jean Pierre Kahn, Alexandre Dayer, Chantal Henry, Jean Michel Aubry, Marion Leboyer, Nader Perroud, Bruno Etain

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

47 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: Impulsivity is a core feature of the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and is one of the DSM-V diagnostic criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD). Impulsivity is also present in bipolar disorder (BD). Impulsivity has been linked to adverse behavior (suicidality,…) and to traumatic childhood experiences. Our study explored impulsivity in BPD, BD, ADHD and healthy controls (CTRL) and investigated the impact of early trauma on impulsivity. Methods: 744 patients with BD (n = 276), BPD (n = 168), ADHD (n = 173) or a combination (BPD_BD, n = 29; BPD_ADHD, n = 94, BD_BPD_ADHD n = 13) and 47 controls were included. All subjects were completed the Baratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS-10) and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Results: BD reported the same levels of impulsiveness as CTRL. When BPD and BD are co-morbid, impulsivity increased to reach the level of BPD. Impulsiveness was significantly associated to traumatic childhood event for BD and CTRL, not for BPD and AHDH. Limitations: Impulsivity was assessed on the basis of a self-report questionnaire and not by the mean of an objective measure such as a neuropsychological test. Moreover, we don't know what treatment our pathological subjects were receiving. But, ADHD and BPD, despite the probable treatment, were more impulsive than healthy CTRLs who did not take medications. Conclusions: Impulsivity is probably not a feature of BD but is associated with the presence of traumatic childhood experiences, especially for euthymic patients, unlike BPD and ADHD. So, it seems essential to assess the presence of early trauma to reduce the impulsivity and improve the evolution of BD.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)33-41
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Affective Disorders
Volume244
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 1 2019
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The collection of the Geneva sample was supported by the Swiss National Foundation (grants Synapsy 51NF40-158776 ).

Funding Information:
The French research protocol was supported by INSERM (Research Protocol C0829 ), Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Paris (Research Protocol GAN12 ), the Investissements d'Avenir program managed by the ANR under reference ANR-11-IDEX-0004 and Fondation FondaMental (RTRS Santé Mentale). The French research protocol is registered under the ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier : NCT02627404 .

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • Clinical Psychology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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