'Pseudoneurological' symptoms, dissociation and stress-related psychopathology in healthy young adults.
Petr Bob, Petra Selesova, Jiri Raboch, Lubomir Kukla
BMC Psychiatry May 25, 2013 DOI: 10.1186/1471-244x-13-149 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 250 |
| Population | Healthy non-psychiatric, non-clinical young adults |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression |
| Keywords | Humans Longitudinal studies Affective symptoms Stress, psychological Dissociative disorders Somatoform disorders Adolescent Female |
| Key findings | Symptoms of somatoform dissociation were significantly linked to stress-related psychopathology, including anxiety, depression, traumatic stress symptoms, and alexithymia. The authors conclude that mild 'pseudoneurological' symptoms may reflect stress-related psychological processes, suggesting that even mild stress may influence somatic feelings and produce somatoform dissociative symptoms. |
Abstract
Background: Somatoform dissociation is a specific form of dissociation with somatic manifestations represented in the form of 'pseudoneurological' symptoms due to disturbances or alterations of normal integrated functions of consciousness, memory or identity mainly related to trauma and other psychological stressors. With respect to the distinction between psychological and somatoform manifestations of dissociation current data suggest a hypothesis to which extent mild manifestations of 'pseudoneurological' symptoms in healthy young population may be linked to stress-related psychopathological symptoms or whether these symptoms more likely could be attributed to unexplained somatic factors.
Methods: With this aim we have assessed the relationship between somatoform dissociation and stress-related psychopathology (i.e. anxiety, depression, symptoms of traumatic stress, alexithymia) in a group of 250 healthy non-psychiatric and non-clinical young adults.
Results: Results of this study show that the symptoms of somatoform dissociation are significantly linked to stress-related psychopathology.
Conclusions: Findings of this study show that the 'pseudoneurological' symptoms may be linked to stress-related psychopathological processes which indicate that also mild levels of stress may influence somatic feelings and may lead to various somatoform dissociative symptoms.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychological flexibility mediates the relations between acute psychedelic effects and subjective decreases in depression and anxiety. International sample of people who reported having used a psychedelic | 2020 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 985 |
| The Challenging Experience Questionnaire: Characterization of challenging experiences with psilocybin mushrooms Internet survey respondents reporting challenging experiences with psilocybin | 2016 | Questionnaire development and validation | |
| Psychedelics and Mental Health: A Population Study Adult population in the United States | 2013 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 130,152 |
| The Role of Mindfulness and Psychological Flexibility in Somatization, Depression, Anxiety, and General Psychological Distress in a Nonclinical College Sample Ethnically diverse, nonclinical sample of college undergraduates (76% female) | 2011 | Observational cross-sectional survey | n = 494 |
| Ecstasy/MDMA attributed problems reported by novice, moderate and heavy recreational users Ecstasy users who participated in a WWW study of recreational drug use | 2002 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 282 |