Prevalence of dissociative experiences in a community sample: relationship to gender, ethnicity, and substance use

This study examined the relationship between gender, ethnicity, substance use, and dissociation in a community sample of adults. Telephone interviews were conducted using, among others, measures of dissociation (Dissociative Experiences Scale-Taxon [DES-T]) and alcohol use (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test [AUDIT]) to screen a representative sample of 1007 adults in Memphis, Tennessee. Six percent of respondents endorsed four or more lifetime dissociative symptoms, whereas approximately one third of respondents endorsed at least one symptom. Only 2% were identified as having pathological dissociation on the DES-T. DES-T scores were significantly associated with gender (male), ethnicity (African-American), and harmful alcohol use. Dissociative symptoms appear to be relatively common in the population, but only a small proportion of individuals suffer from significant levels of dissociation. Further assessment of the link between demographic factors and the severity and expression of dissociative phenomena in nonclinical samples is warranted.