Investigating the Relationship Between Déjà Vu Phenomena and Dimensional Assessments of Psychopathology: Evidence for Differential Associations with Internalizing and Externalizing Symptomatology

Déjà vu has been the focus of extensive research, though its relationship to psychopathology is not well understood. Previous research has implicated limbic and medial temporal structures in both internalizing psychopathology and déjà vu, suggesting a possible relationship between the two. Previous work investigating this relationship has been limited by small sample sizes that reduce statistical power and categorical measures that fail to capture naturally occurring variation in psychopathology. The present study utilized the data crowdsourcing service, Prolific, to investigate the relationship between déjà vu and psychopathology using empirically derived quantitative questionnaires. This study analyzed responses from 253 participants via Prolific. Participants answered questions from several measures, including the Screen for Adult Anxiety Related Disorders (SCAARED), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and the Inventory of Déjà Vu Experiences Assessment (IDEA). Hierarchical multiple linear regression revealed that self-reported déjà vu frequency accounted for unique variance in internalizing symptoms but not externalizing symptoms. We observed a significant positive association between déjà vu and internalizing symptomatology, indicating that, on average, participants reporting more frequent episodes of déjà vu also reported more mood and anxiety psychopathology. Potential theoretical and clinical implications of the present findings are discussed.