Reliability and validity of a Swedish version of the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES-II).
The aim was to investigate the psychometric properties, i.e. reliability (internal consistency) and validity (factor structure and relationships with other scales) of the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) in a random sample from the Swedish population. Six hundred subjects between 18 and 59 years of age were randomly sampled from the population of a catchment area in a suburb of Stockholm and 181 patients with a range of post-traumatic disorders were included. A second-order analysis revealed two components, which reflected normal and pathological dissociation, and could readily be summed into one scale. The internal consistency was high (Cronbach's alpha=0.87). High scorers in the DES had more fearful attachment, more interpersonal problems, more severe symptoms and lower sense of coherence. A subgroup of patients with significant dissociation was identified. The psychometric properties are sufficient for use of the DES as a screening instrument for dissociative symptoms.
Körlin
Dag
D
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, SE-171 76, Sweden. dag.korlin@sll.se
Edman
Gunnar
G
Nybäck
Henrik
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002391:Catchment Area, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012650:Self Disclosure; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology