Experiences of parenting in mothers who have a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder: an exploratory study
Background Previous research has investigated the experience of having a mental health diagnosis and being a parent. However, there is very limited research that examines the experience of being a mother with a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). The current research that is available around parenting with this diagnosis focuses on outcomes of children to these parents and the difficulties that people with this diagnosis may have with parenting. The lived experience is lost within the current literature. Method This study utilised a qualitative methodology, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, to explore the experience of being a mother with a diagnosis of BPD. 5 participants were interviewed using a semistructured interview schedule. Results 3 superordinate themes were identified from the data that were common for most participants: being a bad mother, needing to be understood and accepted by children, and lack of support. 7 subordinate themes are also outlined and discussed. There were a number of similarities and differences within participants’ experiences. Conclusions Further research that investigates how experiences may differ depending on the age of the child would be interesting. This study found a number of similarities with the current available literature on experiences of parenting and having a severe mental health difficulty. However, a number of differences to the literature were found in this study, suggesting that there are key differences that need to be kept in mind when considering the experiences of mothers with a diagnosis of BPD.
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