Traumatic experiences and dissociation in patients with conversion disorder

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychology
• Trauma Studies

Background:

• Conversion disorder is a complex condition often linked to psychological distress.
• Childhood trauma is increasingly recognized as a significant factor in the development of various mental health conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between different types of childhood trauma and the prevalence of dissociation in adult female patients diagnosed with conversion disorder.
• To identify specific childhood trauma experiences that may act as predictors of dissociation in this patient population.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 51 female patients (aged 18-40) diagnosed with conversion disorder in Lahore, Pakistan.
• Utilized the Urdu version of the symptom checklist for conversion disorder, the dissociative experiences scale, and the traumatic experiences checklist.
• Employed Spearman's Rank Order Correlation for data analysis.

Main Results:

• A significant association was observed between childhood trauma, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and dissociation (p<0.001).
• Emotional neglect (70%) and emotional abuse (59%) were commonly reported forms of trauma.
• Sexual harassment (65%) and sexual abuse (23.5%) were also reported by a substantial number of patients.

Conclusions:

• Emotional and sexual abuse emerged as significant predictors of dissociation in patients with conversion disorder.
• Physical abuse, however, was not found to be a significant predictor of dissociation in this cohort.