title: Assessing dissociation as a risk factor for posttraumatic stress disorder: a study of adult offspring of holocaust survivors.
abstract: Dissociative symptoms are frequently present in trauma survivors with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the possibility that dissociative symptoms may comprise a risk factor for the development of PTSD has not been examined. The current research investigates this possibility by evaluating dissociative symptoms in a group of adult offspring of Holocaust survivors, whom we have previously shown to be at increased risk of PTSD. Eighty-seven Holocaust survivor offspring and 39 comparison participants completed the Dissociative Experiences Scale, and assessments of trauma exposure, psychopathology, and parental PTSD. Dissociative symptoms were elevated in individuals with current PTSD, but not in those with past PTSD or with the risk factor of parental PTSD. Dissociative symptoms were also associated with forms of psychopathology other than PTSD. The results suggest that dissociative symptoms are related to current psychiatric symptomatology, including PTSD, rather than representing an enduring trait or preexisting risk factor for the development of PTSD.
authors.affiliation: The Division of Traumatic Stress Studies, Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Halligan
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yehuda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015897:Comorbidity; D004198:Disease Susceptibility / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D017767:Holocaust / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007585:Jews / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*