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The relationship between dissociative proneness and alexithymia
Bernet M Elzinga1, Bob Bermond, Richard van Dyck
1Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
|February 15, 2002
Summary
Dissociative tendencies are linked to difficulty identifying feelings, particularly under stress. Highly dissociative individuals also exhibit greater fantasy proneness, suggesting dissociation may be a coping mechanism.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Trauma Studies
Background:
- Dissociation and alexithymia are proposed coping mechanisms for emotional distress.
- Clinical observations suggest a link between dissociative tendencies and specific alexithymia features.
- The study explores the mediating roles of stress and trauma in this relationship.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between dissociative tendencies and alexithymia in a nonclinical population.
- To examine the mediating effects of current stress and past trauma on this relationship.
- To explore the association between dissociation and fantasy proneness.
Main Methods:
- Survey data collected from 833 nonclinical participants.
- Measures included dissociative tendencies, alexithymia, childhood abuse, and current stress.
- Statistical analyses involved correlation and multiple regression.
Main Results:
- Dissociative tendencies strongly correlated with difficulty identifying feelings (an alexithymia feature).
- This association was partially mediated by current stress levels.
- Trauma history did not predict dissociation, but high dissociation correlated with fantasy proneness.
Conclusions:
- Dissociation may serve as a coping strategy for current stress in nonclinical individuals, linked to difficulty identifying emotions.
- The findings suggest two potential types of dissociation: trait-like (fantasy-related) and trauma-related.
- Further research may differentiate these subtypes in clinical and nonclinical contexts.