Does trauma-linked dissociation vary across ethnic groups?
This investigation assessed the relationship between traumatic stress exposure and dissociation in male Vietnam theater veterans from three ethnic groups. Subjects were African-American (N = 61), Caucasian (N = 91), and Hispanic (N = 73) veterans who completed the Dissociative Experience Scale and a measure of war zone stress exposure, and who were rated on the Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire-Rater Version. Greater exposure to war zone stress was associated with reports of more dissociation at the time of trauma and with more general dissociative experiences both when the data were pooled and when examined separately for each group. After controlling for the effects of war zone stress exposure, the significant differences found in peritraumatic and general dissociative experiences across the three ethnic groups no longer were evident. This investigation demonstrated that among American Vietnam veterans, greater exposure to traumatic stress is related to more dissociative experiences, regardless of ethnicity.
Zatzick
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DF
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Program 116P, San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, California.
Marmar
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CR
Weiss
D S
DS
Metzler
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T
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000367:Age Factors; D044383:Black People; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D004522:Educational Status; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014744:Vietnam; D014857:Warfare; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*