MAPPING STRESSORS AND DISSOCIATIVE SYMPTOMS: A STUDY ON STUDENT MANAGEMENT

Introduction: Dissociative disorders involve disruptions in memory, identity, awareness, or perception, often triggered by trauma or stress. Students are particularly susceptible due to academic, social, and personal pressures. Stress Domain Mapping (SDM) offers a novel approach to identify and categorize stressors into specific domains, enabling personalized, targeted interventions to address underlying stressors and improve outcomes for individuals facing dissociative challenges. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of Stress Domain Mapping in managing dissociative disorders in students by analysing cumulative stress loading (CSL) and clinical outcomes. Methods: A six-week follow-up study was conducted on 100 participants aged 14-30 years meeting ICD-10 criteria for Dissociative Disorder (convulsion type) at Government Medical College Azamgarh. Participants were randomized into SDM groups using the PSLES (SDM-ps) or SSDQ (SDM-ss) scales. Stress domains, including physical, interpersonal, behavioural, and educational aspects, were assessed at baseline, 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 6th weeks. Outcome measures included CSL, Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scores, and dissociative symptom severity. Results: Significant reductions in mean CSL scores were observed in the SDM-ss group over six weeks, indicating improved stress management (p<0.05). The SDM-ss group also demonstrated superior clinical outcomes with significant reductions in CGI-Severity (CGI-S) and CGI-Improvement (CGI-I) scores compared to SDM-ps (p<0.05). Stress mapping revealed the highest burdens in social, educational, and behavioural domains. Family conflict (26%) and educational stress (10%) were the most common stressors. Conclusion: Stress Domain Mapping effectively identified high-risk domains and tailored interventions for managing dissociative disorders in students. The SDM-ss approach demonstrated superior outcomes compared to SDM-ps, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic and preventive tool in educational settings.