Childhood trauma and dissociation in adulthood

Dissociative symptoms are disruptions in usually integrated functions of consciousness such as memory, identity and perception of the environment. Whether dissociation is primarily a response to overwhelming experiences, especially in childhood, is a subject of debate. Research examining the relationship between childhood trauma and adult dissociation has focused primarily on sexual and physical abuse. Little is known about the effect of co-existing distressing circumstances such as parental loss, witnessing interparental violence and chronic neglect. Draijer and Langeland examined the level of dissociation in relation to childhood events to evaluate the effect of multiple victimization and dissociative response.

A total of 160 psychiatric inpatients consecutively admitted to a general psychiatric hospital were given the Dissociative Experiences Scale and the Structured Trauma Interview....