There is limited research on the role of childhood trauma in personality pathology according to Kernberg's psychodynamic model of internalized object relations. Because childhood trauma reflects the disruptions of these relations, it is expected to predict borderline personality organization, especially at the threshold of adulthood. Therefore, the main aim of this retrospective study was to examine the impact of childhood trauma on borderline personality organization in a community sample of emerging adults. Participants were 543 Greek individuals aged 18-29 (M = 21.45; 58.6 % females; 85.1 % university students). They completed the Greek versions of the Traumatic Antecedents Questionnaire (TAQ) and the Inventory of Personality Organization (IPO), which were tested for their factorial structure, reliability, and measurement invariance across gender, as few empirical data exist on the psychometric properties of these measures. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the TAQ consisted of four factors, namely positive experiences, abuse, traumatic life events, and family chaos. The five-factor theoretical structure of the IPO, namely primitive defenses, identity diffusion, reality testing, aggression, and moral values, was confirmed. Low to moderate links between childhood trauma and borderline personality organization were found, with stronger links emerging for abuse and family chaos. Structural equation modeling showed that the various forms of childhood trauma across the age periods studied (i.e., 0-6, 7-12, 13-18) significantly and differentially predicted the dimensions of borderline personality organization. The finding that stronger links emerged when trauma occurred in older ages may be attributed to the retrospective method of the study. Gender differences were also found; for example, personality pathology was more likely in men when abuse and traumatic life events occurred in younger ages and abuse was a more important risk factor for personality pathology in women. This study highlights the impact of childhood adversity on personality pathology in emerging adulthood, provides empirical support for Kernberg's psychodynamic model, and has useful implications for trauma-informed early screening, prevention, and intervention regarding personality pathology in young people. Limitations of this study and suggestions for future research are outlined.

Several studies have evaluated different versions of the Inventory of Personality Organization (IPO) around the world and some shortened versions of the instrument have also been constructed. The aim of this study was to develop the first brief Greek-language version of the IPO (IPO-Brief-GR) to be used for clinical screening and research purposes regarding personality pathology defined according to Kernberg's object relations model of personality organization. Data were collected from a community sample of 543 Greek emerging adults aged 18–29 years (M = 21.45, SD = 2.51) with the 83-item IPO, from which a 30-item version was constructed, based on confirmatory factor analysis of the full measure. The psychometric properties of the IPO-Brief-GR were then examined. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a four-factor structure best fitted the data, that is, primitive defenses/identity diffusion, reality testing, aggression, and moral values. Criterion validity and internal consistency reliability were also supported. Measurement invariance across gender using an exact protocol approach (i.e., configural, metric, scalar) was found allowing latent mean comparisons. These preliminary findings support the reliability and validity of the IPO-Brief-GR for the assessment of borderline personality organization and indicate the need for further research into the psychometric properties and clinical utility of this measure.

Background: Optimal coping with chronic pain (CP) has a positive impact on minimizing the barriers to patients’ quality of life. Mindfulness-based approaches have been shown to improve emotional regulation and coping strategies in CP management, promoting a greater acceptance of pain and reducing psychological distress. Given that personality traits may influence the adjustment to chronic pain, this study aimed to investigate whether specific personality dimensions, based on Cloninger’s model of temperament–character dimensions, affect the enrolment and the response to pain treatment in an innovative hybrid arts-based CBT-CP group intervention for patients with non-malignant CP. Methods: A pre-and-post assessment design was implemented in a non-randomized control trial. A total number of 100 outpatients at a University Pain Management Unit were allocated through self-selection in either an arts-based CBT-CP group intervention (N = 50) or a treatment-as-usual (TAU) control group (N = 50). All participants completed the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), the Orbach and Mikulincer Mental Pain Scale (OMMP), the Tolerance for Mental Pain Scale (TMPS), and the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-140). The assessment took place at baseline and at the end of the intervention, after a 10-week period. The statistical analyses included a t-test for independent samples, Chi-square, and linear regression analyses. Results: At baseline, the arts-based CBT-CP intervention group had a higher score in the novelty seeking character dimension (M = 64.04; SD = 9.56), whereas the TAU group was found to have higher scores in self-directedness (M = 74.34; SD = 11.22) and self-transcendence (M = 51.42; SD = 6.61). The arts-based CBT-CP group reported a lower loss of control (M = 22.94; SD = 6.70) and higher belief in the ability to cope with pain (M = 21.10; SD = 3.76) after the intervention, compared to the control group. Self-transcendence was found to be a significant predictor of average pain as well as of patients’ belief in their ability to cope with pain. Conclusions: The current study provides practice-based evidence suggesting that an arts-based CBT-CP group intervention is a promising treatment for non-malignant CP. Personality dimensions affect patients’ enrolment and response to pain treatment. Furthermore, integrating mindfulness-based strategies within such interventions may further enhance treatment outcomes by fostering acceptance, improving coping mechanisms, and reducing the emotional burden associated with chronic pain.