Development of BPD has been found to be closely related to child abuse by a number of studies and child sexual abuse can be the predominating kind of abuse for the development of BPD in a person. Many individuals who have BPD symptoms can have undergone neglect and abuse during their childhood days. The abuse can come from the caregivers of either or both the genders and can be verbal, emotional, physical or sexual. People with BPD may have undergone the loss of either or both of the parents and there are higher incidences of incest during the patient’s childhood years.

From the literature available on the BPD and the data gathered by researchers and scientists it becomes evident that genes can influence the traits which relate to borderline personality disorder. A study in this regard was conducted on twins and the study deduced the fact that if one twin meets the criteria of having BPD, then in 35% of cases the other twin also met BPD criteria. When a person has BPD that is influenced by genes, then a close relative of person might be suffering from BPD as well. Therefore, BPD can have a genetic basis as well.

BPD patients have reported that their caregivers did not provide them proper physical care and also failed to provide security during their early childhood years. The parents of such BPD patients can have treated the child in an inconsistent manner and can have withdrawn from him/her emotionally as well. This could have contributed towards their developing BPD as those children who have attachment problems or have chronic early maltreatment can develop borderline personality disorder in the later years of life.

Many BPD patients have reported that their parents or caregivers denied the validity of their thoughts and feelings during their childhood days. The BPD patients were also told by their caregivers and parents that their thoughts were irrational and unreasonable. Many experts are of the view that emotional invalidation during the adolescence or childhood years can be a cause of BPD development. The developer of dialectical behavior therapy, Marsha Linehan, has pointed out that an environment which consistently neglects, punishes or invalidates the feelings, thoughts and emotional responses can lead to the development of BPD when combined with certain other factors.

Some researches have pointed out that BPD can occur because of the occurrence of multiple factors as well. Studies show that children who undergo physical and sexual abuse can develop BPD in their later years of life. Family environment and other factors can also contribute towards the development of disease. A study and research conducted by Bradley et al found that family environment mediated the development of BPD symptoms while physical and sexual abuse of the child contributed directly towards the development of BPD.

The world can get increasingly fragmented because of modernization and modern communities and families can fail somewhere in providing support and care. Many children are be unable to form strong, emotionally sustaining attachments or create identity for themselves in the right manner, which in turn can create social and human developmental problems. Those people who have strong emotional security needs or who seek an environment which provides consistent expectations, can be more vulnerable to borderline personality disorder.

BPD can develop in people who have all the above factors present in their childhood environment in varying forms. Some children can be at risk of developing BPD because of their temperament. These children can grow into stable human beings if they are provided with a supportive environment. But there are times when families fail to meet all the special needs which can be essential during a child’s growth period. In such cases, the child can develop emotional instability and impulsiveness.