Abstract
The goal of this dissertation was to conduct a partial replication of Eubanks-Carter and Goldfried's (2006) study and to refine their limitations by restricting the independent variables to a binary sexual orientation and a binary diagnostic criteria level presented in an online survey. The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) and Helping-Coping Attributions Scale (HCAS) were added to aid in exploration. A total of 153 participants were used in the final analysis. Eubanks-Carter and Goldfried's findings were corroborated by this dissertation as there were no differences in diagnosis connected with sexual orientation. Furthermore, vignettes depicting full BPD criteria were rated as most likely to be diagnosed with BPD and as most impaired. No interaction effects were found. In general, there were no indications that sexual orientation had any direct effect on clinicians' diagnosis of BPD. Overall, as issues of sexual orientation become more important in the culture, it is important to gauge how they might impact clinicians' diagnoses and treatment recommendations. Future research should continue to explore these concerns.