Lived experiences of family members who have a sibling with borderline personality disorder

Abstract: Mental illness does not only affect the individual with the illness but their whole family. Amongst mental illnesses, borderline personality disorder (BPD) has been found to be the most difficult and challenging to manage. People with BPD have unstable and very intense interpersonal relationships which are characterised by excessive idealisation and devaluing of a loved one as well as fear of real or imagined abandonment. Family members, like siblings, are the most affected because of these challenges. The purpose of this study was to understand the lived experiences of family members who have a sibling with BPD, and to formulate specific recommendations to facilitate family members’ mental health. The siblings with BPD can be very challenging to those close to them and have frequent emotional outbursts which can range from verbal abuse to physical attacks. At times, they act out in self-destructive activities as an act of revenge towards their loved ones. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design was utilised in this study. There were two phases to this research. In Phase One, the lived experiences of family members who have a sibling with BPD were explored and described. A purposive sampling of family members who have a sibling with BPD was utilised in this study as it provides information-rich cases. Data were collected using in-depth, semi-structured, phenomenological interviews until data saturation was achieved. Lincoln and Guba’s approach to ensure trustworthiness was adopted. Tesch’s method of data analysis was employed to analyse the data. The researcher made use of the services of an independent coder who is an experienced psychiatric nurse practitioner, and a consensus discussion was held between the researcher and independent coder. The findings of the research were discussed in light of the literature relevant to this study as well as other similar studies to verify the findings...M.A. (Nursing

The lived experiences of family members of a sibling with borderline personality disorder in South Africa: A qualitative study

Background: Family members of family members who have a sibling with borderline personality disorder (BPD) experience a considerable burden. Individuals with BPD pose a challenge to their siblings, as BPD affects the person with the disorder and those around them. Purpose: The aim of this article is thus to report on a study that explored and described the family members’ lived experiences of a sibling with BPD. Method: This qualitative study used in-depth phenomenological individual interviews, supported by participant observations and field notes for data collection. Data were analysed using Colaizzis' descriptive phenomenological method of data analysis. Results: Seven participants were interviewed, and three themes emerged from the collected data. The study revealed that participants experienced multiple challenges in understanding, gaining control, and struggling to cope with their own lives. Participants also experienced that interpersonal relationships suffered due to lack of constructive communication and lack of education on the disorder. Lastly, the study revealed that the participants used different mechanisms to cope with having a sibling with BPD. Conclusion: This research illuminated the challenges experienced by family members of a sibling with BPD. These findings provide a basis for recommendations to support the family members who have a sibling with BPD