title: Trauma and dissociation in conversion disorder and chronic pelvic pain.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to: a) assess the link between sexual and/or physical abuse and dissociation in conversion disorder and chronic pelvic pain patients; and b) assess whether this effect is independent of level of general psychopathology.
  
  
  METHODS
  This report examines data from four separate samples. Fifty-two patients with chronic pelvic pain, 61 patients with non-epileptic seizures, and two samples of patients (102 and 54) with predominantly motor or sensory types of conversion disorder were studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using point-biserial correlations no compelling evidence for a consistent and positive association of sexual and/or physical abuse with dissociation was found. After statistically controlling for level of psychopathology using multiple regression analyses, in most of the cases the association of abuse with dissociation was no longer statistically significant. Only physical abuse predicted level of somatoform dissociation over and above level of psychopathology.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In future clinical studies of dissociation in patients with conversion disorder and chronic pelvic pain more complex models may be needed with less exclusive reliance on historical antecedents such as childhood abuse and more emphasis on recent potentially traumatizing experiences or co-morbid psychiatric disorders.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Section of Clinical and Health Psychology, Leiden University, The Netherlands. Spinhoven@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Spinhoven
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Roelofs
authors.forename: Franny
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moene
authors.forename: Jarl
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kuyk
authors.forename: Ellert
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nijenhuis
authors.forename: Kees
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hoogduin
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Van Dyck
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015897:Comorbidity; D003291:Conversion Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017699:Pelvic Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012640:Seizures / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires