# Dysfunctional behavior with friends during middle childhood as a precursor to borderline personality pathology

> **NIH NIH K01** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2024 · $176,178

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious mental disorder associated with high cost that is transmitted
intergenerationally. The interpersonal phenotype of BPD is characterized by hypersensitivity, hostile attribution
bias, and maladaptive desire for exclusivity in relationships. Features of this phenotype can be identified in
childhood and are associated with internalizing and externalizing pathology as well as later development of BPD.
Aligned with the 2021 NIMH Strategic Plan, to identify malleable targets for prevention of psychopathology, it is
necessary to study the unfolding of this critical mechanism prior to the onset of symptomatology. This proposal
aims to do so among high-risk youth (based on maternal psychopathology) during middle childhood (ages 7-9;
50% female), a critical time for interpersonal development. This study measures the interpersonal features of
BPD in the context of child-friend interactions to leverage multi-modal assessment and to focus on a central
relationship of this developmental phase. Specific aims of the study are to 1) Test whether offspring of mothers
with BPD (n=60) exhibit interpersonal features of BPD during middle childhood compared to offspring of mothers
with depression (n=60) and non-disordered mothers (n=40); 2) Determine the extent to which BPD interpersonal
features in middle childhood impede the development of friendship; and 3) Test associations between BPD
interpersonal features and development of psychopathology in children. Friendship stability and quality and child
psychopathology (internalizing, externalizing, BPD features) will be assessed at baseline and 6-months. The
central hypothesis is that relative to controls, offspring of mothers with BPD are at highest risk of exhibiting
interpersonal dysfunction that is specific to BPD during middle childhood. These behaviors have a negative effect
on a central developmental milestone of middle childhood: fostering of closeness in friendship, which increases
risk a range of psychopathology including BPD. The candidate, Dr. Vanwoerden, is a clinical psychologist
seeking to transition to an independent research program focused on the early identification and prevention of
BPD. This project is a first step toward this goal with a comprehensive training plan addressing the research
questions while building on previous experiences in important ways. First, she will obtain training on the inclusion
and assessment of children and friends in research. Second, she will focus on (dyadic) measurement and
interpretation of electrodermal activity as a physiological marker of hypersensitivity. Third, she will gain
proficiency in longitudinal research design, including retention of high-risk families and the analysis of data using
methods aligned with dynamic systems theory. Drs. Stephanie Stepp, Amanda Rose, and Lauren Bylsma who
have expertise in the developmental psychopathology of BPD, friendship processes, and psychophysiol...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10920456
- **Project number:** 5K01MH131755-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Salome Vanwoerden
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $176,178
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-05 → 2028-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10920456

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10920456, Dysfunctional behavior with friends during middle childhood as a precursor to borderline personality pathology (5K01MH131755-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10920456. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*