Physical Activity, Sleep and Eating in Young People With Borderline Personality Disorder

Abstract

Previous research suggests a connection between borderline personality disorder (BPD) and somatic comorbidities, underscoring the importance of lifestyle and health-related behaviour (LHRB) in the emergence of BPD. We investigated LHRBs-physical activity, sleeping and overeating-among young people at different BPD stages compared to a matched community sample. Furthermore, we explored whether problematic LHRBs intensify in later BPD stages. Participants included 55 young people exhibiting BPD features from a specialized mental health care institution, matched with a community control group based on age, self-reported and education. A MANOVA assessed differences in physical activity, sleep disturbance, sleep-related impairment and emotional overeating between the BPD and control group. A second MANOVA explored these behaviours across BPD stages within the clinical group. Results revealed significantly higher levels of sleep-related problems among young people with BPD features compared to controls. However, no significant differences were found in physical activity or emotional overeating. Furthermore, problematic LHRBs did not show a significant association with BPD stage. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between BPD and problematic LHRBs, emphasizing the importance of early intervention targeting sleep-related problems in young people with BPD, alongside addressing other aspects of BPD and associated LHRBs.

Keywords: adolescents; borderline personality disorder; clinical staging; health‐related behaviour; lifestyle; one‐to‐one matching; young adults; young people.