Background <p>Childhood trauma and insecure attachment are considered key risk factors for the development of borderline personality disorder (BPD). In order to better understand the specific significance of insecure attachment as a&#xa0;potential outcome of early traumatic experiences and its mediating role in relation to BPD, an integrative view of both concepts appears necessary.</p> Objective <p>This review provides an overview of key topics in research on the association between childhood trauma and later BPD symptoms, with a&#xa0;particular focus on attachment styles in the past decade.</p> Methods <p>In this study five electronic databases were systematically searched for relevant studies using search terms to identify studies that met predefined inclusion criteria.</p> Results <p>A&#xa0;total of 31&#xa0;predominantly cross-sectional studies were included, which primarily used the childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ) and the experiences in close relationships-revised (ECR-R) scale to assess childhood trauma and attachment. The areas of interest focused on mediation analyses, the investigation of neurobiological links and differential diagnostic issues based on attachment theory. The findings consistently point to complex multifactorial mechanisms.</p> Conclusion <p>Attachment features are a&#xa0;relevant framework for the further development of attachment-based interventions for individuals with BPD and childhood trauma; however, the almost exclusively cross-sectional study design, partly gender-specific findings and several inconsistent results highlight the need for further research.</p>