Dissociative experiences and disorders among women who identify themselves as sexual abuse survivors

The purpose of the study was to identify dissociative experiences and disorders among women who are survivors of sexual abuse. Fifty-one women from two different centers who identified themselves as abuse survivors participated in the research interviews. The Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) and the Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule (DDIS) were used to collect data. The results indicated that 88.2% of the 51 women had a dissociative disorder of some type. Twenty-eight (54.9%) of the women had a DDIS diagnosis of multiple personality disorder (MPD). The women had high DES scores, a high number of secondary features of MPD, high rates of depression, borderline personality, substance abuse, somatic symptoms, Schneiderian symptoms, ESP/supernatural experiences, suicide attempts, and conversion symptoms. The vast majority of sexual abuse survivors in this sample have extensive dissociative symptomatology and related features. Therapists working with adult sexual abuse survivors should be knowledgeable about dissociation, should thoroughly assess a client's dissociative abilities, and should incorporate these findings into the therapy process.