Sarah L Tragesser, Rachel E Jones, Robert Joe Robinson, Alison Stutler, Adam Stewart

Although there is evidence for high comorbidity between borderline personality disorder (BPD) and substance use disorders, particularly alcohol use, more research is needed on the associations between BPD and prescription opioid use because of the increasing national problem of prescription opioid misuse. The purpose of the present study was to examine relationships between BPD features and prescription opioid use, risk for misuse, consequences, and dependence features, and to determine which aspects of BPD account for these associations. As predicted, BPD features were associated with greater quantity and frequency of opioid use, risk for pain medication misuse, consequences, and dependence features. Additional analyses indicated that most of these effects were accounted for by the self-harm/impulsivity component of BPD. The authors conclude that individuals with more pronounced BPD features may be at risk for use and dependence on prescription opioids, and that this association may be primarily associated with the impulsivity features of BPD.