Dissociation and childhood abuse in females with substance dependence

This study investigated the relationship between childhood abuse and dissociation among 39 adult females in rehabilitation for substance dependence. Participants were administered a trauma history questionnaire and then classified into two groups: those who reported no physical or sexual abuse in childhood and those who reported multiple instances of abuse (physical, sexual, or both) in childhood. The Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) was used to compare levels of dissociation for the two groups and also to examine the relationship between psychological abuse and dissociation. No significant relationships between childhood physical/sexual or psychological abuse and adulthood dissociation were found. However, further data inspection revealed that all high dissociators (scoring at or above 30 on the DES) reported at least one potentially traumatic event in their lifetimes. These findings suggest that history of some type of traumatic experience was associated with substantially elevated DES scores in this sample.