Abstract

For efficient screening and assessment of borderline personality disorder (BPD) in clinical and research settings, this study aimed to validate the Korean version of the Borderline Symptom List Short Version (K-BSL-23). We recruited 200 community sample adults with BPD tendencies in Study 1 and examined construct validity and internal reliability. In Study 2, we analyzed a receiver operating characteristic curve of the K-BSL-23 scores of 42 psychiatric outpatients with BPD and 45 non-diagnosed control groups to derive the sensitivity and specificity of each cut-off score. The K-BSL-23 score had a single-factor structure and excellent internal consistency. The K-BSL-23 score showed significant correlations with the borderline scale of the Korean Personality Disorders Test, showing concurrent validity, with emotional regulation difficulties, impulsivity, and depression supporting convergent validity. In addition, the K-BSL-23 score was correlated with adverse childhood experiences. Divergent validity of the K-BSL-23 score among cluster B personality disorders was tentative and requires further research. The supplementary scale, the K-BSL-S, showed high concurrent validity in measuring self-harm behaviors. A cut-off score of 14.5 validly distinguished the BPD patient group from the non-diagnosed control group. The K-BSL-23 score was shown to be a valid measure for BPD symptoms.