Identifying Appropriate Clinical Cutoffs for Traumatic Dissociation in Maltreated Youth

Maltreated youth who experience traumatic dissociation are at an increased risk for various severe psychopathological outcomes. Much is still unknown about the risk factors for traumatic dissociation in maltreated youth. The present study aimed to identify dissociation (e.g., dissociative amnesia, absorption and imaginative involvement, passive influence, and depersonalization and derealization) risk factors, via parametric statistical methods, in association with the appropriate clinical cutoff for the total and subscale scores from the Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale (A-DES). Investigatory variables included demographic (e.g., age, race, and gender), cognitive (e.g., resiliency and posttraumatic cognitions), and psychological (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression symptom scores). Participants included 102 maltreated youths housed at an emergency shelter with the Department of Family Services. The first hypothesis was that variables identified in Mraz’s (2023) exploratory CART study (Table 3, p. 32) would differ significantly according to A-DES total and subscale score. Hypothesis 2 was that fewer demographic, psychological, and cognitive variables (Table 2, p. 31), as evaluated in Hypothesis 1, would emerge as significant differences for A-DES total and subscale scores for cutoffs 2, 6, and 8 compared to cutoff 4. Hypothesis 3 was exploratory in nature and involved the possibility that additional variables would be significantly different based on A-DES total and subscale cutoff scores. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and chi-square was utilized to evaluate the hypotheses. Hypotheses were partially supported. Total PTSD score, cluster D of PTSD (negative alterations in mood and cognitions), sense of mastery, and total anxiety score emerged as salient for across dissociative subtypes and total scores. Cutoff 4 was associated with the highest number of salient related factors for each subtype and total score except for depersonalization and derealization. Finally, additional factors including school involvement and mental health diagnosis, cognitive reappraisal, and expressive suppression were salient across the dissociative subtype and total scores. These findings provide evidence that further elucidates the understanding of dissociation in maltreated youth. Additional research is necessary to develop appropriate assessment and clinical interventions to treat dissociation in maltreated youth populations.