Table 1 Studies investigating aggression in ♀ and ♂ BPD patients using self-reports, interviews and behavioral tasks

Banzhaff et al.

170 BPD patients (114 ♀, 56 ♂)

BPD: Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV for personality disorders (SCID-II)

♂ BPD patients had higher prevalence of ASPD than ♀ BPD patients (32.14 % vs. 10.53 %, p < .001). ♂ BPD patients had higher score in “Dissocial behavior” of the DAPP-PQ than ♀ BPD patients (p < .004).

Aggression: Subscale Dissocial behavior of the Dimensional Assessment of Personality Profile Basic questionnaire (DAPP-BQ)

Barrachina et al.

484 BPD patients (402 ♀, 82 ♂)

BPD: SCID II, Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines-Revised (DIB-R)

♂ BPD patients had higher prevalence of ASPD than ♀ BPD patients (22% vs. 8.2 %, p < .008).

Black et al.

220 offenders newly committed to prison (198 ♂, 22 ♀)

BPD: Structured Interview for DSM-IV Personality (SIDP-IV)

65 offenders (29.5%) met criteria for BPD. More women (54.5%) than men (26.8%) met criteria for BPD (p = .007).

Brambilla

10 BPD patients ((6 ♀, 4 ♂), 20 HC (gender ratio: n/a)

BPD: IPDE

BPD showed higher volume of the putamen (p = .002) compared with HC.

Neuroimaging: stMRI, manual tracing

Costa et al.

130 intimate aggressive ♂, 48 non aggressive ♂

BPD: Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III

Jealousy correlated positively with BPD symptomatology (r = .13, p < .05).

Intimate partner aggression: Revised conflict tactics scale (CTS2), General Violence Questionnaire

Grant et al.

2004 BPD patients (gender distribution not mentioned)

BPD: Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule DSM-IV Version

♂ BPD patients had higher prevalence of ASPD than ♀ BPD patients (19.4% vs. 9 %, p < .001).

Grilo et al.

100 BPD patients (69 ♀, 31 ♂)

BPD: Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV Personality Disorders (DIPD-IV)

♂ BPD patients had higher prevalence of ASPD than ♀ BPD patients (48% vs. 0 %).

Hines et al.

14,154 university-students (10100 ♀, 4054 ♂)

BPD: Personal and Relationships Profile

No BPD x gender interaction for physical, psychological and sexual intimate partner aggression (p > .05 for all contrasts).

Intimate partner aggression: CTS2

Holtzworth et al.

102 intimate aggressive ♂, 62 non aggressive ♂

BPD: Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III

Identified four clusters of violent men, among them the so-called borderline-dysphoric men characterized by high measures on dependency, jealousy, impulsivity and hostility towards women.

Intimate partner aggression: CTS2, Generality of Violence Questionnaire

Johnson et al.

240 BPD patients (175 ♀, 65 ♂)

BPD: DIPD-IV

♂ BPD patients had higher prevalence of ASPD than ♀ BPD patients (29.7% vs. 10.3 %, p < .0001).

McCloskey et al.

127 BPD patients (69 ♀, 58 ♂) of whom 40 with comorbid ASPD, clinical control group consisting of 122 patients with a non cluster-B personality disorder (57 ♀, 65 ♂) and 112 HC (55 ♀, 57 ♂)

BPD: Structured Interview for DSM-IV Personality (SIDP-IV)

No group x gender interaction in the AQ (Wilks F <1).

No difference between ♂ and ♀ BPD patients in the post-hoc analysis of the LHA (p < .01, based on personal communication). ♀ BPD patients were more self-aggressive than the ♂ BPD patients (p < .01)

Aggression: Life History of Aggression (LHA), Aggression Questionnaire (AQ), Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm (PSAP)

No effect of gender or gender x group interaction in the PSAP (Wilks F < 1).

McCormick et al.

163 BPD patients (138 ♀, 25 ♂)

BPD: SIDP-IV

♂ BPD patients had higher prevalence of ASPD than ♀ BPD patients (40% vs. 21 %, p < .03).

Newhill et al.

220 BPD patients (116 ♀, 104 ♂)

BPD: Structured Interview for DSM-III-R Personality

No gender difference in aggression of BPD patients (p = .342)

Aggression: arrest records, collateral reports, patients report using behaviors adapted from the CTS2

Prehn et al.

15 ♂ BPD-ASPD, 17 ♂ HC

BPD: IPDE

♂ BPD-ASPD displayed increased amygdala activity exclusively in response to high, but not neutral and low emotional stimuli when compared to ♂HC.

Neuroimaging: fMRI during presentation of emotional & neutral pictures

Ross et al.

124 intimate aggressive ♂ (7 BPD patients, 16 BPD-ASPD, 18 ASPD patients and 83 subjects without a personality disorder)

BPD: SCID-II

♂ BPD-ASPD were more likely than ASPD-patients (p < .01) and subjects without a personality disorder (p < .01) to react aggressively upon women’s displays of stress.

Intimate partner aggression: CTS2

Scott et al.,

75 psychiatric outpatients and 75 community residents (98 ♀, 52 ♂)

BPD: dimensional score using a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders checklist and the Structured Interview for DSM-IV Personality

Gender did not influence the prediction of BPD on aggression.

Aggression: Revised Conflict Tactics Scale

Silberschmidt et al.

770 BPD (559 ♀, 211 ♂)

BPD: DIPD-IV

No gender difference in aggression of BPD patients (p = .193). ♀ BPD patients showed enhanced hostility than the ♂ BPD (p = .011).

Aggression: OAS-M

Hostility: The Symptom Checklist 90 Revised

Tadic et al.

159 (110 ♀, 49 ♂)

BPD: SCID-II

♂ BPD patients had higher prevalence of ASPD and higher prevalence of the criterion intensive anger (73.5% vs 49.1%, p < .001) than ♀ BPD patients (57.1% vs. 25.51%, p < .001).

Weinstein et al.

847 late middle-age (55-64) adults (347 ♀, 500 ♂) from a community sample

BPD: SIDP-IV, Multi-Source Assessment of Personality Pathology (MAPP) fulfilled by the participant and an informant

In ♀, but not ♂, subjects intimate partner aggression was related to BPD traits (regression-coefficients: 37.5 for the SIDP-IV, 10.2 for the self-MAPP and 8.9 for the informant-MAPP).

Intimate partner aggression: CTS2

Zanarini et al.

379 BPD patients (296 ♀, 83 ♂)

BPD: Diagnostic Interview for DSM-III-R Personality Disorders, DIB-R

♂ BPD patients had higher prevalence of ASPD than ♀ BPD patients (48 % vs. 16 %, p < .00001).

Zlotnick et al.

149 BPD patients (104 ♀, 45 ♂)

BPD: SIDP-IV

♂ BPD patients had higher prevalence of ASPD than ♀ BPD patients (38.6% vs. 11.4 %, p < .001).