Interpersonal trauma relates to dissociative experiences through anxiety sensitivity and emotional avoidance...

Dissociation is a prevalent and impairing symptom commonly observed in trauma-exposed populations following interpersonal trauma. While anxiety sensitivity (AS) and emotional difficulties have been separately implicated in the development of dissociative experiences following trauma, a potential pathway underlying its development remains underexplored. This study examined the mediating effects of AS and emotional avoidance on the association between interpersonal trauma and dissociative symptoms. A trauma-exposed sample (N = 583) completed self-report measures assessing trauma exposure (LEC-5), anxiety sensitivity (ASI-3), emotional avoidance (i.e., DERS-16 nonacceptance subscale), and dissociative experiences (DES-B). Linear regression and path analytic models were conducted using R. Follow-up analyses included all domains of AS to assess specific significant contributors to dissociation. Interpersonal trauma was significantly associated with elevated AS and emotional avoidance, subsequently predicting greater dissociative symptom severity. When accounting for AS and emotional avoidance, our direct effect was no longer significant with AS and emotional avoidance fully mediating this relationship. Subdomain analyses revealed cognitive and social AS as the sole significant mediators between interpersonal trauma and dissociation via emotional avoidance. AS and emotional avoidance jointly contribute to the development of greater dissociative symptom severity following interpersonal trauma. Cognitive and social concerns emerged as key AS subdomains driving this pathway, suggesting that individuals with heightened fears of losing control or social embarrassment may display greater rates of emotional disengagement as a maladaptive coping strategy. Our findings further exemplify AS and emotional avoidance as particularly salient treatment targets for trauma-exposed populations exhibiting problematic dissociative experiences.