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Published on: December 15, 2023
Prevalence, correlates, and predictors of depersonalization experiences in the German general population
Matthias Michal1, Jörg Wiltink, Claudia Subic-Wrana
1Klinik für Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie, Klinikum der Johannes Gutenberg Universität, Untere Zahlbacher Street 8, Mainz 55131, Germany. michal@psychosomatik.klinik.uni-mainz.de
Abstract:
The survey aimed to investigate the prevalence of depersonalization (DP) experiences, its sociodemographic characteristics and its associations with medical conditions, illness behavior, and potential etiologic factors. A representative face-to-face household survey was conducted. The sample consists of n = 1,287 participants aged 14 to 90 years. Sociodemographic variables, medical conditions, current mental disorders, health care utilization, and childhood adversities were assessed. A total of 1.9% participants scored in the range of clinically significant DP (DP-C) and 9.7% reported at least some impairment through DP (DP-I). DP-C/DP-I were strongly associated with depression and anxiety. After adjustment for depression and anxiety, DP-C and DP-I were independently associated with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, chronic pulmonary disease, severe pain, and childhood adversities. We conclude that DP is common, it can not be reduced to a negligible variant of depression or anxiety and that more awareness about DP with respect to detection and research is urgently required.
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