title: Childhood abuse and dissociative symptoms in adult schizophrenia.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Darren W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Holowka
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Saheb
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pukall
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brunet
mesh_terms: 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