Childhood abuse and dissociative symptoms in adult schizophrenia.
Dissociative symptoms, occurring in many psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, are often preceded by traumatic experience. We hypothesized that various types of childhood trauma would correlate with levels of dissociative symptomatology in adult patients. Twenty-six patients completed the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Dissociation was significantly correlated with emotional abuse (r=0.84, one-tailed p<0.001), and physical abuse (r=0.55, p<0.01). We suggest that emotional abuse may play an important role in the etiology of dissociation in schizophrenia.
Holowka
Darren W
DW
McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
King
Suzanne
S
Saheb
Dominique
D
Pukall
Monica
M
Brunet
Alain
A
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires