Differentiating between intrapsychic symptoms and behavioral expressions of borderline personality disorder in relation to childhood emotional maltreatment and emotion dysregulation: an exploratory investigation.

Findings complement previous research, highlighting the role of childhood maltreatment and emotion regulation difficulties in BPD. While our findings need to be seen as preliminary and interpreted with caution, they suggest that the BSL may be used to differentiate between internalized symptoms and behavioural expressions of BPD in future research. Such a distinction might help to deepen the understanding of this complex heterogenous disorder.