Table 4. Regression Models of the Effects of Sex, CA, and Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms on BPD traits at age 24. Unstandardized regression coefficients [B (SE)] are presented.
| Outcome: BPD Traits at age 24 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| ||||||||||||
| Males | Females | All | ||||||||||
|
| ||||||||||||
| Any | Emotional | Physical | Sexual | Any | Emotional | Physical | Sexual | Any | Emotional | Physical | Sexual | |
| Effect of CA Considered Alone | ||||||||||||
| Sex | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | −.19 (.05)* | −.17 (.06)* | −.17 (.05)* | −.21(.05)* |
| CA | .21 (.07)* | .40 (.11)* | .13 (.08) | .40 (.18) | .36 (.06)* | .42 (.08)* | .27 (.08)* | .28 (.09)* | .29 (.05)* | .42 (.06)* | .20 (.05)* | .30 (.08)* |
| Sex Diff? (contrast z)a |
---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | No (1.63) |
No (0.15) |
No (1.24) |
No (.60) |
| Effects of CA Considered with INT | ||||||||||||
| CA | .17 (.07) | .38 (.11)* | .08 (.08) | .32 (.18) | .28 (.06)* | .36 ( .07)* | .20 (.08)* | .16 (.09) | .23 (.05)* | .37 (.06)* | .14 (.05) | .19 (.08) |
| INT | .20 (.04)* | .19 (.05)* | .21 (.04)* | .20 (.04)* | .23 (.03)* | .24 (.03)* | .25 (.03)* | .25 (.03)* | .22 (.02)* | .23 (.02)* | .23 (.02)* | .23 (.02)* |
| CA*INT | −.15 (.07) | −.12 (.11) | −.20 (.08) | .15 (.18) | .04 (.06) | −.01 (.07) | .02 (.07) | .14 (.07) | −.01 (.04) | −.03 (.06) | −.06 (.05) | .13 (.06) |
| Mediation Significant? (critical z) bc |
Yes (3.32) |
No (1.16) |
N/A | N/A | Yes (4.96) |
Yes (3.97) |
Yes (3.42) |
Yes (5.36) |
Yes (6.85) |
Yes (3.92) |
Yes (5.32) |
Yes (6.49) |
| Effects of CA Considered with EXT | ||||||||||||
| CA | .13 (.07) | .36 (.11)* | .02 (.08) | .26 (.18) | .26 (.06)* | .35 (.07)* | .15 (.08) | .15 (.09) | .21 (.05)* | .36 (.06)* | .09 (.06) | .19 (.08) |
| EXT | .22 (.03)* | .17 (.04)* | .23 (.03)* | .22 (.03)* | .26 (.06)* | .28 (.04)* | .28 (.04)* | .30 (.04)* | .24 (.02)* | .23 (.03)* | .25 (.02)* | .26 (.02)* |
| CA*EXT | −.04 (.06) | −.02 (.09) | −.04 (.07) | .13 (.19) | −.03 (.07) | −.03 (.08) | .02 (.08) | −.06 (.08) | −.05 (.04) | −.02 (.06) | −.03 (.05) | .01 (.07) |
| Mediation Significant? |
Yes (4.22) |
No (1.88) |
N/A | N/A | Yes (3.75) |
Yes (3.25) |
Yes (4.56) |
Yes (4.60) |
Yes (6.21) |
Yes (3.68) |
Yes (7.17) |
Yes (5.69) |
| Effects of CA Considered with Joint Effects of INT and EXT | ||||||||||||
| CA | .13 (.07) | .37 (.11)* | .02 (.08) | .25 (.18) | .24 (.06)* | .34 (.07)* | .14 (.08) | .12 (.09) | .19 (.05)* | .35 (.06)* | .08 (.05) | .16 (.08) |
| INT-EXT | .23 (.03)* | .19 (.04)* | .24 (.03)* | .23 (.03)* | .30 (.03)* | .30 (.03)* | .31 (.03)* | .32 (.03)* | .26 (.02)* | .25 (.03)* | .27 (.02)* | .28 (.02)* |
| CA* INT-EXT | −.07 (.06) | −.04 (.09) | −.08 (.07) | .23 (.21) | .04 (.06) | .02 (.08) | .08 (.09) | .09 (.09) | −.02 (.05) | −.00 (.06) | −.03 (.05) | .13 (.08) |
| Mediation Significant? |
Yes (4.64) |
No (1.52) |
N/A | N/A | Yes (5.95) |
Yes (4.10) |
Yes (5.60) |
Yes (5.42) |
Yes (7.26) |
Yes (3.89) |
Yes (6.62) |
Yes (6.05) |
Note: In all models, BPD is the criterion variable. CA, Childhood abuse; BPD, Borderline personality disorder traits; EXT, Childhood externalizing psychopathology; INT, childhood internalizing psychopathology; INT-EXT, combined childhood internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. Table is organized as follows. The variables in each model are named on the far left. For each column, CA represents any, emotional, physical and sexual CA.
Significance level was set to p<.01 due to multiple tests.
Sex was coded as 1 (male) and 2 (female). Significance of sex differences was tested by comparing regression coefficients between males and females. This provides a contrast z value. If z value was higher than 2.58 (two-tailed significance at .01 level), this would be evidence for significant sex differences. Because the effect of CA on BPD traits failed to come out in the initial model (Effect of CA Alone), we did not consider it in the analyses that consider INT and EXT.
The significance of mediation of the CA-BPD association by INT, EXT, or INT-EXT was tested using the Sobel test (Sobel, 1982) which provides a critical z value. If z value was higher than 2.58 (two-tailed significance at .01 level), mediation was considered significant.
Mediation was tested only if there was a univariate effect of CA in the first model (otherwise, denoted as n/a) (see Baron & Kenny, 1986).