Symptoms of borderline personality disorder in young men from the general population: prevalence, age-related changes, and longitudinal associations with risk-taking behaviors

BACKGROUND: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe mental illness associated with emotional and functional impairment, elevated suicide risk, and high individual and societal costs. BPD is under-researched in the general population, especially among males, and from a developmental perspective. We examined the prevalence and development of BPD symptoms in young men and explored the longitudinal associations with risk-taking behaviors. METHODS: Data came from the prospective-longitudinal Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors (C-SURF), a population sample of young men. Participant