ABSTRACT
The current study assessed the reliability and validity of three measures of dissociation. Three hundred students completed the Dissociative Experiences Scale Revised (DESR), the Dissociative Experiences Scale-II (DES-II), and the Dissociative Experiences Scale Comparison (DESC); an additional 252 community adults evaluated clarity of instructions. Findings revealed that the three dissociation measures showed acceptable test-retest reliability and Cronbach's alphas. The DESR and DES-II strongly intercorrelated, but the DESC correlated only moderately with the two remaining dissociation measures, sharing less than 10% of the variance with the original scale. Additionally, the DESR and DES-II showed stronger convergent validity (correlation with measures of alexithymia and post-traumatic stress disorder) than did the DESC. The DESC was the only measure unrelated to trauma history. Participants reported substantially greater difficulty in understanding and utilizing the metric offered by the DESC. In conclusion, evidence supports the DES-II and DESR as alternate measures, but the DESC requires more investigation.
Subject(s)
Dissociative Disorders , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic , Adult , Humans , Psychometrics , Reproducibility of Results , Dissociative Disorders/diagnosis , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/diagnosis , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed competing demands on many graduate students working at practica. Though graduate programs seek to minimize potential sources of exposure to the virus, some practicum sites rely on students as essential staff. At the same time, although some students may wish to eliminate this source of potential exposure to the virus, other students may consider the opportunity to fulfill their practicum duties at a time of crisis an important part of their educational experience. Guidance published by the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers regarding internship students provides at least a starting point for programs to develop policies that allow students to make informed decisions about their practicum training. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
