The purpose of this study was to assess the experiences of adult violence r
eported by a sample of criteria-defined borderline patients and axis Ii con
trols. The experiences of having had a physically abusive partner and/or ha
ving been raped reported by 362 personality-disordered inpatients were asse
ssed blind to diagnostic status using a semistructured research interview.
Forty-six percent of borderline patients reported having been a victim of v
iolence since the age of 18. Borderline patients (N = 290) were significant
ly more likely than axis II controls (N = 72) to report having had a physic
ally abusive partner, having been raped, having been raped multiple times,
having been raped by a known perpetrator, and having been both physically a
ssaulted by a partner and raped. Female borderline patients were significan
tly more likely than male borderline patients to have been physically and/o
r sexually assaulted as adults (50% vs. 26%. However, a significantly highe
r percentage of borderline patients of both genders reported experiences of
adult violence than controls of the same gender. Four risk factors were fo
und to significantly predict whether borderline patients had an adult histo
ry of being a victim of violence: female gender, a substance use disorder t
hat began before the age of 18, childhood sexual abuse, and emotional withd
rawal by a caretaker. The results of this study suggest that both male and
female borderline patients are at substantial risk for being physically and
/or sexually victimized as adults.