Borderline and Being a Mother

Commissioned by the Freie Universität Berlin, LIBRA Film developed and produced two animated films as part of the ProChild research project. The aim was to convey the project's complex scientific content, as well as its findings on borderline personality disorder and motherhood, in a way that is both accessible and vivid.

The first film introduces the interdisciplinary research project ProChild. Several sub-studies examined how a mother's borderline personality disorder can affect mother-child interaction and children's development. Mothers with borderline personality disorder and their children were compared, among others, with mother-child dyads involving maternal anxiety or depressive disorders, as well as with mentally healthy mothers. Further areas of focus included possible mechanisms of intergenerational transmission, cooperation between different support systems, and the question of how affected families can be supported early and effectively.

The second film focuses on the scientifically evaluated training programme "Borderline and Being a Mother". The twelve-week group training was developed specifically for mothers with borderline personality disorder and young children. It conveys knowledge and concrete strategies for everyday family life - from children's basic needs and emotional regulation to dealing with stress and conflict, and on to structure and self-care.

The animations translate these multi-layered scientific relationships into an accessible visual language, conveying this sensitive topic in a way that is professionally grounded, easy to understand, and free of stigma.