title: Risk factors in the early family life of patients suffering from dissociative disorders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the hypothesis that not only intrafamiliar childhood abuses inflicted to the patient, but also major losses or other severe life events suffered by the mother within 2 years of patient's birth, are risk factors for the development of dissociative disorders (DDs).
  
  
  METHODS
  A multicentric case-control study of 52 cases and 146 controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We estimated a crude odds ratio (OR) of 2.6 (adjusted 1.9) for mothers' losses or other severe life events experienced within 2 years of patient's birth, and a crude OR of 7.6 (adjusted 7.2) for patient's early traumatic experiences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mother's losses or other severe life events within 2 years of patient's birth and patient's traumatic experiences during childhood are risk factors for the development of dissociative disorders. A possible explanation of these findings is that disorganized or insecure attachment may increase susceptibility to traumatic experiences and propensity to dissociation in adult life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Clinical Psychology, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata IDI-IRCCS, Rome, Italy. p.pasquini@idi.it
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pasquini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liotti
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mazzotti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fassone
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Picardi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors