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We conducted a network analysis of measures of dissociation and posttraumatic symptoms (PTS) with a varied sample of adolescents ( N = 312), some of them previously exposed to war scenarios. The global measure of dissociation (A-DES) was uniquely linked to the arousal PTS symptom cluster (CRIES-13), in particular sleep problems, but not to the reexperiencing and avoidance clusters. Three of four (i.e., depersonalization/derealization, amnesia, mental partition/compartmentalization) dissociation clusters were uniquely linked to PTS severity, but not absorption. The results with the pooled groups were generally representative of both groups. The DP/DR relation to PTS was based on data from both samples, whereas the link between amnesia and partition/parts might have been driven by the normative group, although the refugee sample had significantly higher scores in those variables. The results replicate some previous findings with adult samples and suggest new paths for research and theory.

Objective: War-traumatized refugee children and adolescents have been overlooked in research on trauma-related dissociation, and whatever research has been conducted has relied almost exclusively on questionnaires. The present study was an exploration of dissociative experiences in multitraumatized war-refugee youth., Method: In this study, we used a mixed-method approach by grouping participants according to a Western-based dissociation measure (the Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale; Armstrong, Putnam, Carlson, Libero, & Smith, 1997), and conducting qualitative and quantitative analyses of their verbal descriptions of mental experiences related to dissociation in the aftermath of war and resettlement. The sample included 40 refugee youth, ages 13 to 21, 19 girls and 21 boys resettled in Sweden because of war and persecution., Results: Severe trauma-related dissociation was a problem for a considerable subgroup of the sample. Some dissociative experiences were present in all the sample; others were restricted to the most dissociative group. The correlates of severe dissociation included high frequency and severity of emotional dysregulation and intensity, negative self- and body-perception, depressive mood, and experiences of detachment., Conclusion: Clinicians are urged to be aware of and assess trauma-related dissociation in war-refugee youth, and consider not only dissociative phenomena, but also other important processes such as emotional dysregulation. (PsycINFO Database Record, ((c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).)

Individuals with unresolved/disorganized representations of childhood trauma (U/d attachment) report more psychological distress than others, but little is known about their everyday mentation. In the present study adults with childhood trauma (N = 45) completed the Berkeley-Leiden Adult Attachment Questionnaire-Unresolved (BLAAQ-U) and the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI), and reported everyday mentation during 5 days of experience sampling. The BLAAQ-U and the AAI showed a medium association with each other, but only the former significantly predicted negative affect, dissociation, and low control/awareness of mentation. Contrary to our predictions, U/d attachment did not significantly predict mind wandering, but the BLAAQ-U predicted endorsements of a negative mind wandering style. U/d attachment, as assessed by both instruments, was associated with the Poor attentional control style and beliefs in anomalous mental phenomena. Experience sampling is a valuable way to investigate everyday experiences in individuals with U/d attachment.

Objective: To study adolescent traumatization and the impact of various types of trauma on dissociative experiences in a sample of 239 Swedish youngsters, 13 to 20 years of age, with diverse socioeconomic and migration backgrounds. We also evaluated whether the type of worst lifetime trauma was associated with higher rates of dissociation., Method: Quantitative and qualitative data on posttraumatic stress, dissociative experiences, and potentially traumatic events (PTEs), including participants' written descriptions of their worst lifetime trauma., Results: Most (92%) of the participants had been exposed to at least 1 PTE and 51% to 4 or more, during their life. Number of PTEs correlated with symptoms of posttraumatic stress and dissociation. There were higher rates of dissociation among economically vulnerable and second-generation war refugee participants. Emotional abuse by others (mostly peers) was the only significant predictor of dissociation when controlling for gender, age, total PTEs, posttraumatic stress, and poverty. Moderation analyses showed that lifetime worst traumas categorized as primarily emotional moderated and amplified the relation between total PTEs and dissociation, but only among girls., Conclusions: Our findings indicate that traumatization is very common among adolescents, with greater prevalence of dissociation among vulnerable groups, and that emotional traumas are linked to higher rates of dissociation, especially among girls. Researchers, clinicians, and school personnel need to focus more on immigrant status and low SES as vulnerability factors, and address the consequences of emotional abuse, including bullying, among adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record, ((c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).)