title: Dissociative absorption: An empirically unique, clinically relevant, dissociative factor.
abstract: Research of dissociative absorption has raised two questions: (a) Is absorption a unique dissociative factor within a three-factor structure, or a part of one general dissociative factor? Even when three factors are found, the specificity of the absorption factor is questionable. (b) Is absorption implicated in psychopathology? Although commonly viewed as "non-clinical" dissociation, absorption was recently hypothesized to be specifically associated with obsessive-compulsive symptoms. To address these questions, we conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on 679 undergraduates. Analyses supported the three-factor model, and a "purified" absorption scale was extracted from the original inclusive absorption factor. The purified scale predicted several psychopathology scales. As hypothesized, absorption was a stronger predictor of obsessive-compulsive symptoms than of general psychopathology. In addition, absorption was the only dissociative scale that longitudinally predicted obsessive-compulsive symptoms. We conclude that absorption is a unique and clinically relevant dissociative tendency that is particularly meaningful to obsessive-compulsive symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Consciousness and Psychopathology Lab, Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel. Electronic address: soffern@bgu.ac.il.
authors.forename: Nirit
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Soffer-Dudek
authors.affiliation: The Stress, Self & Health (STREALTH) Lab, Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel; Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK. Electronic address: d.lassri@ucl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lassri
authors.affiliation: The Program for Hermeneutics and Cultural Studies (Psychoanalysis and Hermeneutics track), Interdisciplinary Studies Unit, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel. Electronic address: nir.dudek@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Nir
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Soffer-Dudek
authors.affiliation: The Stress, Self & Health (STREALTH) Lab, Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. Electronic address: shaharg@bgu.ac.il.
authors.forename: Golan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shahar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Absorption; Dissociation; Dissociative experiences scale; Factor analysis; Obsessive–compulsive disorder