title: The Dissociative Subtype of PTSD Scale: Initial Evaluation in a National Sample of Trauma-Exposed Veterans.
abstract: The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual includes a dissociative subtype of posttraumatic stress disorder, but no existing measures specifically assess it. This article describes the initial evaluation of a 15-item self-report measure of the subtype called the Dissociative Subtype of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Scale (DSPS) in an online survey of 697 trauma-exposed military veterans representative of the U.S. veteran population. Exploratory factor analyses of the lifetime DSPS items supported the intended structure of the measure consisting of three factors reflecting derealization/depersonalization, loss of awareness, and psychogenic amnesia. Consistent with prior research, latent profile analyses assigned 8.3% of the sample to a highly dissociative class distinguished by pronounced symptoms of derealization and depersonalization. Overall, results provide initial psychometric support for the lifetime DSPS scales; additional research in clinical and community samples is needed to further validate the measure.
authors.affiliation: 1 National Center for PTSD at VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.|2 Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Erika J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.affiliation: 1 National Center for PTSD at VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.|2 Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Karen S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.affiliation: 1 National Center for PTSD at VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.|2 Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sadeh
authors.affiliation: 2 Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hein
authors.affiliation: 3 Boston VA Research Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Isaac
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fuhrman
authors.affiliation: 4 National Center for PTSD at VA Connecticut Healthcare System, New Haven, CT, USA.|5 Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Pietrzak
authors.affiliation: 1 National Center for PTSD at VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.|2 Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Mark W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003861:Depersonalization / Q000523:psychology*; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D057566:Self Report; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: PTSD; dissociative subtype; latent profile analysis; psychometric