A study of sociodemographic profile, birth risk factors, and social support in personality disorders

• Main Authors: Sanjeet Kour, Zaid Ahmad Wani, Shabir Ahmad Dar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2019-01-01
• Series: Indian Journal of Social Psychiatry
• Subjects: Birth risk factors; pattern; personality disorders; social support
• Online Access: http://www.indjsp.org/article.asp?issn=0971-9962;year=2019;volume=35;issue=2;spage=114;epage=118;aulast=Kour

Background: Personality disorders (PDs) comprise deeply ingrained and enduring behavioral patterns, manifesting themselves as inflexible responses to a broad range of personal and social situations. We aimed to study sociodemographic profile, birth risk factors, and social support in PDs in Kashmir. Materials and Methods: It was an observational study conducted in the Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College, Srinagar. There were forty one subjects in both the groups-cases and controls. Structured Clinical Interview developed II (SCID II); Oslo 3-item Social Support scale and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire were used for assessing pattern, social support, and birth risk factors in personality disorders. Results: Mean age of patients and controls was 22.41 ± 4.14 and 22.52 ± 4.15 years, respectively. Majority of the participants were females in both the groups. Most of the cases and controls were single and from nuclear families. Maximum number of patients and healthy controls fitted into the upper-middle socioeconomic class. About 70.73% of cases had good social support while 29.27% of cases had minimal social support. About 99.4% of controls had good and only 1 (0.6%) had minimal social support. Majority of our patients had a borderline PD (35) followed by histrionic PD (3). Other forms of PD seen were avoidant/anxious PD in one patient. Birth complications were seen in 9.76% of cases and none of the controls, therefore, were statistically significant. Conclusion: Most of the cases were borderline, unmarried, from nuclear families belonging to upper-middle socioeconomic class with good social support.