Traumatic Experiences and Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms: The Mediating Role of Dissociation
Abstract
Accumulating evidence suggests that obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCSs) are positively associated with exposure to traumatic experiences and dissociative symptoms in both clinical and community samples. The current study was aimed at investigating the relationships between traumatic experiences, dissociation, and OCSs. A sample of 333 community adults (56.8% females) aged from 18 to 56 years (mean [SD], 25.64 [6.70] years) completed measures on traumatic experiences, dissociative symptoms, and OCSs. A structural equation modeling (SEM) framework was used to test if dissociative symptoms mediated the relationship between traumatic experiences and OCSs. SEM analyses showed that dissociation fully mediated the predictive association between traumatic experiences of emotional neglect and abuse and OCSs in the sample. Accordingly, some individuals suffering from OCSs might benefit from clinical interventions aimed at processing and integrating traumatic experiences.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Emotional abuse in early childhood and traumatic experiences play a role in the development and maintenance of OCD and are associated with greater severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms.
“These findings, which focus on experiences of reproach, criticism, and threats to the relationship, could also be contextualized in light of other distal and proximal factors that contribute to increasing the risk of obsessions and compulsions, such as the presence of emotional abuse in early childhood and traumatic experiences (Kadivari et al., 2023; Santoro et al., 2023) that play a role in the”
From TREATING GUILT-INDUCING SELF-TALK IN OCD WITH DRAMATIZED SOCRATIC DIALOGUE: A STEP BY STEP INTERVENTION (2024) · cites this paper as Santoro et al., 2023
Cites
Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999) · Structural Equation Modeling A Multidisciplinary Journal · doi:10.1080/10705519909540118 · Cited by 108,788 · see citing works
<b>lavaan</b> : An <i>R</i> Package for Structural Equation Modeling
Rosseel, Y. (2012) · Journal of Statistical Software · doi:10.18637/jss.v048.i02 · Cited by 27,955 · see citing works
Structural Equation Modelling: Guidelines for Determining Model Fit
Hooper, D., Coughlan, J., & Mullen, M. R. (2008) · Dublin Institute of Technology · doi:10.21427/d7cf7r · Cited by 8,746 · see citing works
(1993) · Cited by 1,279 · see citing works
Item Parceling in Structural Equation Modeling: A Primer
Matsunaga, M. (2008) · Communication Methods and Measures · doi:10.1080/19312450802458935 · Cited by 944 · see citing works
Evaluation of the evidence for the trauma and fantasy models of dissociation.
Dalenberg, C. J., Brand, B. L., Gleaves, D. H., Dorahy, M. J., Loewenstein, R. J., Cardeña, E., Frewen, P. A., Carlson, E. B., & Spiegel, D. (2012) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/a0027447 · Cited by 667 · cited 1× · see citing works
“There is also consistent evidence supporting the relationship between traumatic experiences and dissociative symptoms (Dalenberg et al., 2012; Vonderlin et al., 2018).”
Backgroundvan Ijzendoorn, M. H., & Schuengel, C. (1996) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/0272-7358(96)00006-2 · Cited by 643 · cited 1× · see citing works
“The DES-II has shown good reliability and validity worldwide (Carlson and Putnam, 1993; Van Ijzendoorn and Schuengel, 1996).”
Background(1993) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/ajp.150.7.1030 · Cited by 494 · see citing works
Nijenhuis, E. R. S., van der Hart, O., & Kruger, K. (2002) · Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy · doi:10.1002/cpp.332 · Cited by 387 · see citing works
BATEMAN, A. W., & Fonagy, P. (2013) · Psychoanalytic Inquiry · doi:10.1080/07351690.2013.835170 · Cited by 361 · see citing works
Obsessive-compulsive disorder as a disturbance of security motivation.
Szechtman, H., & Woody, E. (2004) · Psychology Review · doi:10.1037/0033-295x.111.1.111 · Cited by 346 · see citing works
Psychometric properties of the Italian version of the SCL-90-R: A study on a large community sample
Prunas, A., Sarno, I., Preti, E., Madeddu, F., & Perugini, M. (2011) · European Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.eurpsy.2010.12.006 · Cited by 344 · see citing works
Obsessive compulsive spectrum disorder.
McElroy, S. L., Phillips, K. A., & Pe, K. (1994) · PubMed · Cited by 320 · see citing works
Acceptance and commitment therapy for anxiety and OCD spectrum disorders: An empirical review
Bluett, E. J., Homan, K. J., Morrison, K. L., Levin, M. E., & Twohig, M. P. (2014) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2014.06.008 · Cited by 306 · cited 2× · see citing works
“…interventions aimed to improvementalizing andmetacognitive capacities, self-regulation skills, and meaning reconstruction (Bateman and Fonagy, 2013; Bluett et al., 2014; Peeters et al., 2021) might minimize the activation of dissociative processes and foster integration of mental states related to…”
BackgroundDissociation in victims of childhood abuse or neglect: a meta-analytic review
Vonderlin, R., Kleindienst, N., Alpers, G. W., Bohus, M., Lyssenko, L., & Schmahl, C. (2018) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291718000740 · Cited by 280 · see citing works
Prevalence of dissociative disorders among women in the general population
Şar, V., Akyüz, G., & Doğan, O. (2006) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2006.01.005 · Cited by 236 · see citing works
Schimmenti, A., & Caretti, V. (2014) · Psychoanalytic Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0038019 · Cited by 222 · see citing works
Self-citationBrander, G., Pérez-Vigil, A., Larsson, H., & Mataix-Cols, D. (2016) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.03.011 · Cited by 172 · see citing works
Orsillo, S. M., Weathers, F. W., Litz, B. T., Steinberg, H. R., Huska, J. A., & Keane, T. M. (1996) · The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease · doi:10.1097/00005053-199605000-00007 · Cited by 159 · see citing works
Briggs, E. S., & Price, I. R. (2009) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2009.07.004 · Cited by 148 · see citing works
Peeters, N., van Passel, B., & Krans, J. (2021) · British Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjc.12324 · Cited by 140 · see citing works
Rufer, M., Held, D., Cremer, J., Fricke, S., Moritz, S., Peter, H., & Hand, I. (2006) · Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics · doi:10.1159/000089225 · Cited by 134 · see citing works
Dissociation and emotion regulation strategies: A meta-analytic review
Cavicchioli, M., Scalabrini, A., Northoff, G., Mucci, C., Ogliari, A., & Maffei, C. (2021) · Journal of Psychiatric Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.09.011 · Cited by 130 · cited 1× · see citing works
“This theoretical model is consistent withmeta-analytic research suggesting that dissociation is linked with attentional and behavioral avoidance and cognitive perseverations (Cavicchioli et al., 2021).”
BackgroundLanius, R. A. (2015) · European Journal of Psychotraumatology · doi:10.3402/ejpt.v6.27905 · Cited by 127 · see citing works
van Duijl, M., Nijenhuis, E. R. S., Komproe, I. H., Gernaat, H. B. P. E., & de Jong, J. T. V. M. (2010) · Culture Medicine and Psychiatry · doi:10.1007/s11013-010-9171-1 · Cited by 120 · see citing works
Schimmenti, A. (2017) · Journal of Trauma & Dissociation · doi:10.1080/15299732.2017.1402400 · Cited by 115 · see citing works
Self-citationSereda, Y., & Дембіцький, С. С. (2016) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-016-1014-3 · Cited by 114 · see citing works
Meaning making following trauma.
Park, C. L. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.844891 · Cited by 103 · see citing works
Schimmenti, A. (2016) · Journal of Trauma & Dissociation · doi:10.1080/15299732.2015.1108948 · Cited by 101 · cited 3× · see citing works
“, Rasch model and network analysis), is that our results on the DES-II are affected by high scores on certain items referring to general symptoms of mild detachment from reality and relationships (Saggino et al., 2020; Schimmenti, 2016).”
MethodResultSelf-citationThe effect of trauma on the severity of obsessive-compulsive spectrum symptoms: a meta-analysis
Miller, M. L., & Brock, R. L. (2017) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2017.02.005 · Cited by 93 · cited 4× · see citing works
“studies (Boysan et al., 2022;Miller and Brock, 2017; Muris et al., 2003; Schimmenti, 2018), significant and positive correlationswere found between exposure to multiple traumatic experiences, dissociation, and OCSs.”
BackgroundInfluentialSemiz, Ü. B., İnanç, L., & Bezgin, Ç. (2013) · Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology · doi:10.1007/s00127-013-0787-7 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Dissociative absorption: An empirically unique, clinically relevant, dissociative factor
Soffer‐Dudek, N., Lassri, D., Soffer-Dudek, N., & Shahar, G. (2015) · Consciousness and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.concog.2015.07.013 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
Muris, P., Merckelbach, H. L. G. J., & PEETERS, E. (2003) · The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease · doi:10.1097/00005053-200301000-00004 · Cited by 83 · see citing works
Kroska, E. B., Miller, M. L., Roche, A. I., Kroska, S. K., & O’Hara, M. W. (2018) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2017.08.039 · Cited by 80 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer H attempts to gain control over a threating environment and to cope with negative emotions and beliefs arising from traumatic experiences (Briggs and Price, 2009; Kroska et al., 2018).”
BackgroundThe effect of childhood trauma on the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms: A systematic review
Destrée, L., Brierley, M., Albertella, L., Jobson, L., & Fontenelle, L. F. (2021) · Journal of Psychiatric Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.08.017 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
Vidal‐Ribas, P., Stringaris, A. K., Rück, C., Serlachius, E., Lichtenstein, P., & Mataix‐Cols, D. (2014) · European Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.eurpsy.2014.11.008 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Intolerance of uncertainty and obsessive-compulsive disorder dimensions
Pinciotti, C. M., Riemann, B. C., & Abramowitz, J. S. (2021) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2021.102417 · Cited by 65 · see citing works
Trauma-Related Altered States of Consciousness: Exploring the 4-D Model
Frewen, P., & Lanius, R. A. (2014) · Journal of Trauma & Dissociation · doi:10.1080/15299732.2013.873377 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
The developmental roots of dissociation: A multiple mediation analysis.
Schimmenti, A. (2016) · Psychoanalytic Psychology · doi:10.1037/pap0000084 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Self-citationImaginative, dissociative, and schizotypal processes in obsessive‐compulsive symptoms
Aardema, F., & Wu, K. D. (2010) · Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1002/jclp.20729 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Selvı, Y., Beşiroğlu, L., Aydın, A., Güleç, M., Atlı, A., Boysan, M., & Çelik, C. (2011) · International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice · doi:10.3109/13651501.2011.617458 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Visser, H. A. D., van Minnen, A., van Megen, H. J. G. M., Eikelenboom, M., Hoogendoorn, A. W., Kaarsemaker, M., van Balkom, A. J. L. M., & van Oppen, P. (2014) · The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry · doi:10.4088/jcp.13m08825 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Soffer‐Dudek, N. (2014) · Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice · doi:10.1037/cns0000023 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Şar, V. (2017) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00216 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
Trauma-Related Dissociation Is Linked With Maladaptive Personality Functioning
Granieri, A., Guglielmucci, F., Costanzo, A., Caretti, V., & Schimmenti, A. (2018) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00206 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Self-citationA correlation network analysis of dissociative experiences
Schimmenti, A., & Şar, V. (2019) · Journal of Trauma & Dissociation · doi:10.1080/15299732.2019.1572045 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Self-citationKamijo, N., & Yukawa, S. (2018) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02404 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
Saggino, A., Molinengo, G., Rogier, G., Garofalo, C., Loera, B. L., Tommasi, M., & Velotti, P. (2020) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-019-2417-8 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Soffer‐Dudek, N. (2018) · British Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjc.12186 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
Assessing child abuse: “We need to talk!”
Bifulco, A. T., & Schimmenti, A. (2019) · Child Abuse & Neglect · doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104236 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
Self-citationSoffer‐Dudek, N. (2017) · Psychiatry · doi:10.1080/00332747.2016.1247622 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Ou, W., Li, Z., Zheng, Q., Chen, W., Liu, J., Liu, B., & Zhang, Y. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.612586 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Obsessive-compulsive disorder as a disturbance of security motivation: Constraints on comorbidity
Szechtman, H., & Woody, E. Z. (2006) · Neurotoxicity Research · doi:10.1007/bf03033239 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Grabe, H. J., Ruhrmann, S., Spitzer, C., Josepeit, J., Ettelt, S., Buhtz, F., Hochrein, A., Schulze‐Rauschenbach, S., Meyer, K., Kraft, S., et al. (2007) · Psychopathology · doi:10.1159/000112029 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Salomon-Small, G., Somer, E., Harel-Schwarzmann, M., & Soffer‐Dudek, N. (2021) · Journal of Psychiatric Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.02.017 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
The reliability and validity of a Japanese version of symptom checklist 90 revised
Tomioka, M., Shimura, M., Hidaka, M., & Kubo, C. (2008) · BioPsychoSocial Medicine · doi:10.1186/1751-0759-2-19 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
The Role of Stress in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Narrative Review
Raposo-Lima, C., & Morgado, P. (2020) · Harvard Review of Psychiatry · doi:10.1097/hrp.0000000000000274 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Childhood trauma, attachment and psychopathology: A correlation network approach
Midolo, L. R., Santoro, G., Ferrante, E., Pellegriti, P., Russo, S., Costanzo, A., & Schimmenti, A. (2020) · Mediterranean Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.6092/2282-1619/mjcp-2418 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Self-citationPinciotti, C. M., & Orcutt, H. K. (2020) · The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease · doi:10.1097/nmd.0000000000001211 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Ivarsson, T., Saavedra, F., Granqvist, P., & Broberg, A. G. (2015) · Child Psychiatry & Human Development · doi:10.1007/s10578-015-0563-x · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Pinciotti, C. M., Riemann, B. C., & Wetterneck, C. T. (2021) · Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jocrd.2021.100624 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Tapancı, Z., Yıldırım, A., & Boysan, M. (2017) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2017.11.058 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Vismara, L., Sechi, C., & Lucarelli, L. (2019) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-019-00566-6 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
The path to dissociative experiences: A direct comparison of different etiological models
Buchnik‐Daniely, Y., Vannikov‐Lugassi, M., Shalev, H., & Soffer‐Dudek, N. (2021) · Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy · doi:10.1002/cpp.2559 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Boger, S., Ehring, T. W., Schwarzkopf, W., & Werner, G. G. (2020) · Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jocrd.2020.100587 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Evaluation of Relationship between Obsessive-compulsive Disorder and Dissociative Experiences
Tatlı, M., Çetinkaya, Ö., & Maner, F. (2018) · Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience · doi:10.9758/cpn.2018.16.2.161 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Pozza, A., & Dèttore, D. (2019) · Psychology Research and Behavior Management · doi:10.2147/prbm.s212983 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Fontenelle, L. F., Destrée, L., Brierley, M.-E., Thompson, E. M., Yücel, M., & Albertella, L. (2021) · Journal of Affective Disorders Reports · doi:10.1016/j.jadr.2021.100170 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Boysan, M., Yıldırım, A., Beşiroğlu, L., Kefeli, M. C., & Kağan, M. (2018) · Psychiatric Quarterly · doi:10.1007/s11126-017-9555-2 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Can dissociative symptoms exist without an underlying dissociation of the personality? Yes!
Schimmenti, A. (2021) · European Journal of Trauma & Dissociation · doi:10.1016/j.ejtd.2021.100243 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Self-citationSchimmenti, A., Sideli, L., Barbera, D. L., Cascia, C. L., Waelde, L. C., & Carlson, E. B. (2020) · Journal of Trauma & Dissociation · doi:10.1080/15299732.2020.1760170 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Self-citationWu, C., Shi, C., Dong, W., Li, B., & Wu, R. (2020) · The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease · doi:10.1097/nmd.0000000000001133 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Boysan, M., Yıldırım, A., & Ökmen, A. C. (2020) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-020-00681-9 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Saliani, A. M., Perdighe, C., Zaccari, V., Luppino, O. I., Mancini, A., Tenore, K., & Mancini, F. (2024) · PubMed Central · doi:10.36131/cnfioritieditore2023060104 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“…of obsessions and compulsions, such as the presence of emotional abuse in early childhood and traumatic experiences (Kadivari et al., 2023; Santoro et al., 2023) that play a role in the development and maintenance of OCD and are associated with greater severity of obsessive-compulsive…”
BackgroundRossi, E. D., Imperatori, C., Sciancalepore, F., Prevete, E., Maraone, A., Canevelli, M., Tarsitani, L., Pasquini, M., Farina, B., & Bersani, F. S. (2024) · PubMed Central · doi:10.36131/cnfioritieditore20240305 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Siahkal, S. C., Najafi, M., & Khosravani, V. (2026) · European Journal of Trauma & Dissociation · doi:10.1016/j.ejtd.2026.100658
Karadağ, B., Sevinçok, D., Özbek, M. M., & Sevinçok, L. (2026) · Psychiatry · doi:10.1080/00332747.2026.2680634
Traumatic Experiences and Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms the Mediating Role of Dissociation: Erratum
Santoro, G., Sideli, L., Guglielmucci, F., Terrone, G., & Schimmenti, A. (2026) · The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease · doi:10.1097/nmd.0000000000001878
Self-citation
- Authors
- Santoro, G., Sideli, L., Gugliemucci, F., Terrone, G., & Schimmenti, A.
- Affiliations
- Università degli Studi di Enna Kore (IT)
- Libera Università Maria SS. Assunta (IT)
- Roma Tre University (IT)
- University of Rome Tor Vergata (IT)
- Corresponding author
- Santoro, Gianluca
- Schimmenti, Adriano
- Venue
- Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease
- Published
- 2023-07
- Volume
- 211
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 543-549
- ISSN
- 0022-3018 (ISSN-L)
- 1539-736X
- OpenAlex
- W4382501186
- Cited by
- 5
- References
- 73
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2024: 2
- FWCI
- 1.46
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Update notices
- correction (2026-07-16)
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Cineca Institutional Research Information System (Tor Vergata University) (submittedVersion)
- Iris (Roma Tre University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Keywords
- obsessive-compulsive symptoms, traumatic events, dissociative symptoms, emotional neglect, emotional abuse, mediation, community-dwelling adults, trauma processing
- MeSH terms
- Latent Class Analysis, Adult, Dissociative Disorders, Female, Humans, Male, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
