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Updated: May 16, 2025

Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder
Published on: March 8, 2018
Unravelling the associations between dissociation and emotion (dys)regulation: A multidimensional meta-analytic
Serena Bruno1, Camilla Tacchino1, Gerardo Anconetani1
1Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
Background:
The relationship between dissociation features, maladaptive regulation strategies, and emotional dysregulation is a controversial issue. This meta-analytic review provides a comprehensive and multidimensional overview of the association between aspects of dissociation and emotional (dys)regulation.
Methods:
We conducted systematic research on the main databases (Psycinfo, PsycARTICLES, Pubmed, MEDLINE, Scopus), collecting the literature of the last 20 years. A total of 120 studies were included in the meta-analytic review. The analyses were based on the Pearson coefficient as a measure of the size of the effect, using the random effect model and performing moderation analysis.
Results:
Results showed significant relationships between emotion (dys)regulation and the different facets of dissociation. Overall, we observed stronger associations between deficits in emotion regulation/maladaptive regulating strategies, rather than alexithymia, and dissociation, supporting the prior involvement of emotional dimensions in dissociative experiences.
Conclusions:
This work confirms the connection between emotion (dys)regulation and dissociation, revealing differential patterns according to the specific assessed dimensions and, thus, providing a systematization of the associations between specific aspects of the examined constructs.
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