Continuous and cumulative trauma, trauma appraisals, and depersonalisation-derealisation in individuals exposed to armed conflict

Background Depersonalisation-derealisation (DPDR) is associated with trauma, but the relationship between conflict-related adverse experiences and DPDR remains unclear. The present study examined armed conflict-related trauma exposures, adverse childhood experiences, trauma-related comorbid psychopathology, and trauma appraisals as predictors of DPDR. Methods Analyses were conducted on data from 562 Colombian adults exposed to armed conflict across three waves, over 18 months. Three generalised linear mixed modelling frameworks were used: a two-step hurdle, including (i) a logistic model after recoding DPDR as binary, and (ii) a positive-part Gamma mixed model on non-zero DPDR scores; (iii) a Tweedie model. Predictors were entered sequentially as: Trauma exposure, adverse childhood experiences, DPDR-specific covariates, and trauma appraisals. Results Across all models, armed conflict-related trauma exposure variables and adverse childhood experiences were not independently associated with DPDR, while non-DPDR dissociative experiences showed significant and positive associations with DPDR. Trauma appraisals did not predict DPDR presence or severity. Conclusions This was the first study to investigate DPDR in adults exposed to continuous and cumulative trauma related to armed conflict. Findings suggest that, in this population, DPDR was associated with broader dissociative experiences but not with cumulative trauma exposure or trauma appraisals, with important implications for theory and practice.