This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as doi: 10.1002/cpp.2355 This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. The Role of Attachment Characteristics in Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder Dorothee Bernheim 1,2 , Manuela Gander 3 , Ferdinand Keller 2 , Mathias Becker 4 , Alexander Lischke 5 , Renate Mentel 1 , Harald J. Freyberger 1,4 †, Anna Buchheim 3 1 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Greifswald, Germany 2 Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Ulm, Germany 3 Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Austria 4 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Helios-Clinic Stralsund, Germany 5 Department of Psychology, University of Greifswald, Germany Journal: “Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy” Running title: Attachment and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Abstract: 250 words Word count (exc. figures/tables): 5252 Correspondences should be addressed to: Dorothee Bernheim, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Ulm, Steinhövelstrasse 1, 89075 Ulm, Germany. Email: dorothee.bernheim@uniklinik-ulm.de