(PS3-C71) The Relationship Between Dissociative Experiences and Obsessive-compulsive Symptom Dimensions

Transient dissociative experiences (e.g., the feeling of being detached from oneself or the world) have been observed across several mental health conditions in both clinical and non-clinical samples and are associated with greater symptom severity, distress, and functional impairment. However, little is known about how dissociative experiences relate to obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship between dissociative experiences and OC symptom dimensions.

 Participants were 248 undergraduate psychology students who completed online questionnaires consisting of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), Cambridge Depersonalization Scale-2 (CDS-2), Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire (OBQ-TRIP), and Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DOCS). Correlations were computed to assess bivariate relationships among variables. Hierarchical linear regressions were performed with the DOCS subscales (Contamination, Responsibility for Harm, Unacceptable Thoughts, and Symmetry) as the dependent variables. DASS subscales scores were entered in Step 1, OBQ total scores were entered in Step 2, and mean CDS scores were entered in Step 3.

 CDS scores were significantly correlated with all DOCS symptom dimensions (r = .20-.43), DASS subscales (r = .48-.59), and OBQ total scores (r = .43). The overall regression predicting DOCS-Contamination was significant (R² = .12, p < .001) with OBQ total scores emerging as the only significant predictor (β = .31, p < .001). CDS scores did not significantly increase the variance explained by the model (ΔR² = .01, p = .266). The regression predicting DOCS-Responsibility for Harm was significant (R² = .25, p < .001), with OBQ scores again emerging as the only significant individual predictor (β = .35, p < .001). CDS scores did not account for a significant increase in explained variance (ΔR² = 0, p = .652). The regression predicting DOCS-Unacceptable Thoughts was significant (R² = .42, p < .001), with DASS-depression (β = .27, p < .001), DASS-stress (β = .20, p = .006), and OBQ scores (β = .20, p = .001) emerging as significant individual predictors and CDS scores not significantly increasing the explained variance (ΔR² = 0, p = .662). Finally, the regression predicting DOCS-Symmetry was also significant (R² = .29, p < .001), with OBQ scores emerging as the only significant individual predictor (β = .41, p < .001) and CDS scores not significantly increasing the explained variance (ΔR² = 0, p = .507).

 Results suggest that dissociative experiences do not contribute additional predictive value for OC symptom dimensions above and beyond models including depression, anxiety, stress, and obsessive beliefs. However, the moderate-to-strong correlations observed between dissociative experiences and other constructs in this study suggest that they may still play an important role in understanding OC symptom presentation. Indeed, some have hypothesized that dissociation functions as a transdiagnostic maladaptive emotion regulation strategy during periods of acute distress (e.g., while experiencing intrusive thoughts). Thus, future studies should seek to further understand the relationship between dissociative experiences and OC symptoms.