Psychological characteristics of dissociation in general population

Abstract

Dissociation is defined as the separation of those processes that should be accessible, considering that both somatoform and conversion symptoms may be understood as dissociative. In recent decades, psychological variables have been related to dissociation, such as suggestibility, fantasy, alexithymia, abnormal emotional processes, and also a particular personality profile. The aim of this paper is to study the profile associated with psychoform and somatoform dissociation. The sample consisted of 355 participants. University students employed the snowball sampling. The following instruments were used: the Dissociative Experiences Scale-II (DES-II), the Questionnaire Somatoform Dissociation (SDQ-20), the Inventory Suggestibility (IS), the Alexithymia Scale Toronto (TAS-20), the Scale Difficulties in Emotion Regulation (DERS), the revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI), and some ad hoc questions to evaluate sleep-related experiences. The results indicated that high dissociators showed higher scores on suggestibility, alexithymia, sleep- related experiences, neuroticism, openness to experience, and lower conscientiousness than low dissociators, the results being similar to those obtained by high somatizers. As a conclusion, the profile found in both types of dissociation indicated their existing relationship, and pointed out possible lines of future research and treatment.