Does dissociation further our understanding of PTSD?
Peritraumatic dissociation, and other dissociative reactions, refer to alterations in awareness in the context of a traumatic experience. This review provides an overview of the current conceptualization of dissociation, critiques methodological approaches to studying dissociation, and reviews the evidence for the purported relationship between dissociative reactions and posttraumatic stress disorder. The evidence challenges the notion that a linear relationship exists between dissociation and psychiatric morbidity. Future research should abandon the global construct of dissociation, and study the specific responses that involve altered awareness under experimental conditions.
Bryant
Richard A
RA
School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Australia. r.bryant@unsw.edu.au
D000208:Acute Disease; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*