Childhood Trauma, Borderline Personality Disorder, and Inflammation: Specific Links of Emotional Neglect with CRP and IL-6 Elevation in BPD
B. Dawidowski, L. Franczak, P. Podwalski, J. SamochowiecIntroduction
Childhood trauma has been linked to low-grade inflammation, but the contribution of trauma subtypes and the role of borderline personality disorder (BPD) remain unclear.
Objectives
We assessed whether distinct trauma domains relate to inflammatory markers and whether differences between BPD patients and healthy controls (HC) shape these associations.
Methods
In this cross-sectional cohort (N=90; BPD and HC), serum levels of CRP, IL-6, IL-1β, IFN-γ and TNF-β were measured. Trauma was assessed using TEC domains and summary scores. Linear models were fitted for each marker–trauma pair after Box–Cox/log transformations selected by AIC. Model diagnostics guided inference: if assumptions were met, classical t-tests were used; otherwise robust HC3 SEs and studentized wild bootstrap (B=2000). Multiple testing was controlled with Benjamini–Hochberg FDR. Additional sensitivity analyses added covariates (Group, BMI, education, smoking).
Results
Between-group comparisons showed no differences for IL-1β, IFN-γ or TNF-β; these were not pursued further. After FDR correction, CRP was positively associated with emotional neglect (β≈0.09 on log-CRP; p=0.002; p_adj=0.018), robust to smoking adjustment. IL-6 correlated with total trauma load (p=0.005; p_adj=0.046) in simple models; however, this association attenuated after including diagnostic group, with BPD participants displaying higher IL-6 levels than HC regardless of trauma scores.
Conclusions
Emotional neglect in childhood is specifically linked to elevated CRP, suggesting a pathway from relational deprivation to chronic low-grade inflammation. Elevated IL-6 appears more characteristic of BPD patients than of trauma exposure alone. Other cytokines (IL-1β, IFN-γ, TNF-β) showed no group differences. Findings highlight the clinical relevance of assessing emotional neglect, reducing modifiable risks such as smoking, and addressing inflammation in BPD.
Disclosure of Interest
None Declared