Abstract

Background: In recent years, there have been significant advancements in understanding the etiology, assessment, and treatment of borderline personality disorder [BPD]. However, the influence of culture has not been carefully considered. The present review is an attempt to identify cultural factors that may change the presentation, assessment, and response to treatment among adults and adolescents with BPD.

Discussion: We discuss the relevance of examining the BPD diagnosis across cultures, define culture, and review studies on the prevalence of BPD across sociocultural groups.

Conclusion: We provide a comprehensive list of assessments developed to capture BPD and the cultural adaptations and validations attempted thus far. We also summarize the evidence base for culturally sensitive treatments for BPD. Finally, we present suggestions for future research and clinical implications for our findings.

Keywords: Borderline personality disorder, culture, review, prevalence, assessment, treatment.