ABSTRACT
Background: Anxiety disorders are characterized by a central theme of intense subjective distress and apprehension of impending danger. Dissociation has been frequently associated in such patients, where it acts as a defense mechanism that allows temporary relief. Previous studies have also shown that more number of life events and higher perceived stress are seen in patients of anxiety disorder, which may even act as predictors of developing the disease. Addressing these factors may contribute to improved understanding of underlying psychopathology and better treatment outcomes. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, 1 year time bound study. As per calculation from prevalence, 161 participants were selected as sample population with specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Socio-demographic data was collected, appropriate scales were administered to assess the required parameters and statistical analysis was carried out thereafter. Results: We found that 21.74% patients had dissociative experience, 40.37% patients had perceived stress during last month, 53.4% had less/moderate stress and 39.1% patients had severe stress. Most frequently occurring life event was financial loss or problem. Statistically significant association was found between total life events score and socio-demographic variables. Mean dissociative experience scale score was positively correlated with total perceived stress scale score and total life event score. Total perceived stress scale score was also positively correlated with total life event score. Conclusions: Anxiety disorder patients had high levels of dissociation, perceived stress and life events, and these three parameters were also correlated with each other.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The Adolescent Dissociative Experience Scale (A-DES) is a screening measure for dissociative experience in adolescents. The present study aimed to investigate the reliability, validity and psychometric properties of the Korean version of the Adolescent Dissociative Experience Scale. METHODS: The Korean version of the A-DES was administered to a normative group of 371 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years and a traumatized group of 33 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years with known trauma. RESULTS: The internal consistency was excellent (Cronbach's alpha=0.91) and the test-retest correlation of the A-DES was high (r=0.99). Correlation between the A-DES and other measures of dissociation was moderate (r=0.48). There were no significant age differences in mean total A-DES scores for the normative sample, or for boys or girls separately. Nor were there any significant gender differences for any age group. The mean total score of the A-DES was significantly higher in the traumatized group than in the normative group. There was a statistically significant difference between adolescents with self-reported trauma and those without a trauma history in the normative group. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that the Korean version of the A-DES is a reliable measure with excellent internal consistency and good stability over a 4-week test-retest interval with single factor structure. It can be used to screen for dissociative symptoms in Korean adolescents between the ages 12 and 18.