Depersonalization as a defense mechanism in survivors of trauma
Etay Shilony, Frances K. Grossman
Journal of Traumatic Stress 1993 DOI: 10.1002/jts.2490060110 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 75 |
| Population | Boston University undergraduate students reporting traumatic events |
| Measures | Depersonalization Questionnaire (DQ), Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), General Severity Index (GSI) |
| Key findings | Participants who experienced depersonalization during traumatic events reported significantly lower psychiatric symptomatology than those who did not, on 7 of 9 SCL-90-R subscales and the GSI; after controlling for trauma severity, differences held on five subscales and the GSI, and remained significant when controlling for time since the events. The authors suggest depersonalization played a role in defending against the full impact of trauma. |
Abstract
Abstract: The study examines the relationship between experiencing depersonalization during traumatic events and subsequent psychiatric symptomatology. Participants were 75 Boston University undergraduate students who reported 186 traumatic events. Information about their experiences of depersonalization during these events was obtained by the Depersonalization Questionnaire (DQ) a scale based primarily on the Dissociation Experience Scale (Bernstein and Putnam, 1986). Symptomatology was measured by the Symptom Checklist‐90‐Revised (Derogatis, 1977). As predicted the participants who experienced depersonalization during traumatic events were found to be significantly lower than those who did not on 7 out of the 9 SCL‐90‐R subscales and the General Severity Index (GSI) scale. When the severity of trauma was statistically controlled for, the significant differences between the two groups held up on five of the nine subscales and the GSI scale. These differences remained as significant when statistically controlling for the time that passed since the traumatic events. These findings suggest that, for this sample, depersonalization during traumatic events played a significant role in defending them from the full impact of these events.