Dissociation in victims of childhood abuse or neglect: a meta-analytic review
Abstract
Childhood abuse and neglect are associated with dissociative symptoms in adulthood. However, empirical studies show heterogeneous results depending on the type of childhood abuse or neglect and other maltreatment characteristics. In this meta-analysis, we systematically investigated the relationship between childhood interpersonal maltreatment and dissociation in 65 studies with 7352 abused or neglected individuals using the Dissociative Experience Scale (DES). We extracted DES-scores for abused and non-abused populations as well as information about type of abuse/neglect, age of onset, duration of abuse, and relationship to the perpetrator. Random-effects models were used for data synthesis, and meta-regression was used to predict DES-scores in abused populations from maltreatment characteristics. The results revealed higher dissociation in victims of childhood abuse and neglect compared with non-abused or neglected subsamples sharing relevant population features (MAbuse = 23.5, MNeglect = 18.8, MControl = 13.8) with highest scores for sexual and physical abuse. An earlier age of onset, a longer duration of abuse, and parental abuse significantly predicted higher dissociation scores. This meta-analysis underlines the importance of childhood abuse/neglect in the etiology of dissociation. The identified moderators may inform risk assessment and early intervention to prevent the development of dissociative symptoms.
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Previous metanalyses demonstrate a robust link between dissociative experiencing and exposure to trauma.
“Previous metanalyses demonstrate a robust link between dissociative experiencing and exposure to trauma (Rafiq et al., 2018; Vonderlin et al., 2018).”
From Trauma-related dissociation and the autonomic nervous system: a systematic literature review of psychophysiological correlates of dissociative experiencing in PTSD patients (2022) · cites this paper as Vonderlin et al., 2018
The DD effect size (g=1.25) exceeds the association between childhood abuse/neglect and dissociative experiences (d=0.53) in abused or neglected individuals.
“with an effect size (g = 1.25) that exceeds the association between childhood abuse/neglect and dissociative experiences (d = 0.53) in abused or neglected individuals (Vonderlin et al., 2018)”
From Hypnotic suggestibility in dissociative and related disorders: A meta-analysis (2022) · cites this paper as Vonderlin et al., 2018
Trauma is widely recognized as the primary developmental antecedent of dissociative psychopathology.
“trauma is widely recognized as the primary developmental antecedent of dissociative psychopathology (Vonderlin et al., 2018)”
From Hypnotic suggestibility in dissociative and related disorders: A meta-analysis (2022) · cites this paper as Vonderlin et al., 2018
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- Authors
- Vonderlin, R., Kleindienst, N., Alpers, G. W., Bohus, M., Lyssenko, L., & Schmahl, C.
- Affiliations
- University of Mannheim (DE)
- Heidelberg University (DE)
- University of Antwerp (BE)
- Western University (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Lyssenko, Lisa
- ORCID
- Venue
- Psychological Medicine
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2018-04-10
- Volume
- 48
- Issue
- 15
- Pages
- 2467-2476
- ISSN
- 0033-2917 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-8978
- OpenAlex
- W2797682117
- Cited by
- 280
- References
- 25
- Citations by year
- 2026: 49 · 2025: 43 · 2024: 46 · 2023: 34 · 2022: 34 · 2021: 30 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 4
- FWCI
- 3.09
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- MADOC (University of Mannheim) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
- Keywords
- childhood abuse, child neglect, dissociation, Dissociative Experiences Scale, sexual abuse, physical abuse, age of onset, abuse duration, parental abuse, perpetrator relationship, risk assessment, early intervention
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Child, Child Abuse, Child, Preschool, Dissociative Disorders, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Adult Survivors of Child Abuse, Young Adult
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