title: The relationship between peritraumatic distress and peritraumatic dissociation: an examination of two competing models.
abstract: This study examined whether peritraumatic dissociation serves to protect trauma-exposed individuals from experiencing high levels of peritraumatic distress or is an epiphenomenon of high levels of peritraumatic distress. The sample was comprised of 709 police officers and 317 peer-nominated civilians exposed to a variety of critical incidents. Participants filled out measures of trauma exposure, traumatic stress, peritraumatic distress, and peritraumatic dissociation. There was an overall moderate-to-strong linear relationship between peritraumatic distress and dissociation. Among those with high levels of dissociation, very few reported low levels of distress. Among those with high levels of distress, a significant number--but not all--reported high levels of dissociation. Our results do not provide support for the idea that dissociation protects individuals from experiencing high levels of distress at the time of the trauma but rather suggest that dissociation is an epiphenomenon of high levels of distress observed in a subset of individuals.
authors.affiliation: McGill University, Douglas Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Deniz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fikretoglu
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brunet
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Best
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Metzler
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Delucchi
authors.forename: Daniel S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fagan
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marmar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D035846:Law Enforcement; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D016495:Police; D040701:Stress Disorders, Traumatic, Acute / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology