Depersonalization, fantasies, and coping behavior in clinical context

✍ Scribed by Uwe Wolfradt; Stefanie Engelmann

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 72 KB
• Volume: 55
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-9762
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-4679(199902)55:2<225::aid-jclp10>3.0.co;2-e

✦ Synopsis

The main purpose of the present study was to determine the relation between specific dissociative experiences (depersonalization, fantasies) and self-reported coping behavior in a clinical (depression, anxiety, schizophrenia) and nonclinical sample (normal adults). Dissociative experiences were assessed with the Questionnaire of Experiences of Dissociation (QED) of Riley ( ) and coping behavior with the Stress-Process Questionnaire (SPQ; . A factor analysis of the QED items revealed a two-factor extraction: Factor 1 "depersonalization" and Factor 2 "fantasies/daydreams." The clinical group scored higher on the QED factor "depersonalization" and had more passive forms of coping behavior (resignation, social isolation, self-compassion, self-blame) than the normal adults. Similar correlation patterns were found for both groups: The QED factor "depersonalization" correlated highly with the coping behaviors "resignation," "social isolation," "self-blame," "self-compassion," and "rumination." No correlation between Factor 2 "fantasies/daydreams" and the coping behavior was found. Finally, correlations between depersonalization, trait anxiety, and personal need for structure were reported.