{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T04:35:32Z","timestamp":1787027732110,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":60,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,20]],"date-time":"2025-08-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1755648000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Brain Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) frequently overlaps with trauma-related conditions, particularly PTSD and Complex PTSD (cPTSD). Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)\u2014especially emotional and sexual abuse\u2014are considered key factors in the development of emotion dysregulation and dissociation. This study investigates the impact of different ACE dimensions on borderline symptomatology, emotion dysregulation, and dissociative symptoms. Methods: Eighty-three BPD patients were assessed using standardized self-report questionnaires: CTQ-SF (ACEs), DERS (emotion dysregulation), DES (dissociation), BSL-23 (borderline symptoms), and PDS-3 (post-traumatic symptoms). Analyses included bivariate correlations, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), and Exploratory Graph Analysis (EGA). Results: Emotional abuse significantly predicted borderline symptoms, while sexual abuse predicted dissociation. Emotion dysregulation was strongly associated with both borderline and dissociative symptoms, emerging as a central node in the symptom network. EGA confirmed the clustering of dissociative symptoms with sexual abuse and the centrality of emotion dysregulation across domains. Conclusions: Findings support the role of specific ACEs in shaping the clinical expression of BPD. Emotion dysregulation acts as a key transdiagnostic factor linking trauma history to borderline and dissociative features. These results underscore the importance of trauma-informed assessments and interventions, such as DBT and DBT-PTSD, tailored to individual ACE profiles.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/brainsci15080889","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,21]],"date-time":"2025-08-21T08:40:48Z","timestamp":1755765648000},"page":"889","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Beyond the Scars: An Analysis of Adverse Childhood Experiences and the Interconnections Between Emotion Dysregulation, Dissociation, and Trauma in Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7430-9022","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Luciana","family":"Ciringione","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Scuola di Psicoterapia Cognitiva SPC, 37122 Verona, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7168-4847","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Enrico","family":"Perinelli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8765-4047","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francesco","family":"Mancini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Associazione di Psicologia Cognitiva APC, Scuola di Psicoterapia Cognitiva SPC, 00185 Rome, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Human Sciences, Guglielmo Marconi University, 00193 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8674-1154","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elena","family":"Prunetti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Scuola di Psicoterapia Cognitiva SPC, 37122 Verona, Italy"},{"name":"Centro di Psicoterapia Cognitivo Comportamentale DBT Padova, 35134 Padova, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"American Psychiatric Association (2022). 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