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The relationship between dissociation and panic symptoms in adolescence and the exploration of potential mediators

Abstract:

Background: Dissociative experiences have been linked to panic symptoms in adolescents, yet the nature of the association remains unclear.

Methods: In the present study, we investigated the longitudinal relationship between dissociative experiences (focusing on the felt sense of anomaly subtype) and panic, as well as the potential mediating roles of emotion regulation strategies (expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal), alexithymia, and cognitive appraisals of dissociation. Four thousand five hundred one adolescents aged 13–18 years were recruited via social media advertising to take part in an online survey at two timepoints, 1 month apart.

Results: Analysis of 421 datasets found a significant positive relationship between initial dissociative experiences and panic symptoms reported 1 month later. This was mediated by the emotion regulation strategy of cognitive reappraisal, and cognitive appraisals of dissociation. These two variables were no longer significant mediators when controlling for panic symptoms at the first time point, likely due to the stability of panic symptoms across both assessments. Neither alexithymia nor expressive suppression were significant mediators.

Conclusions: Thus, dissociative experiences that are persistently misinterpreted in a catastrophic manner may lead to escalating anxiety and panic symptoms, which could in turn heighten and maintain the feared dissociation sensation. These results indicate that dissociative experiences are associated with panic symptoms in adolescence, with cognitive appraisals of dissociation and cognitive reappraisal playing a role in this relationship.

Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

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Files:
Publisher copy:
10.1002/jcv2.12202

Authors


More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MSD
Department:
Experimental Psychology
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0002-1497-2789
More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MSD
Department:
Psychiatry
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0002-7275-6144
More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MSD
Department:
Psychiatry
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0002-1967-8028


Publisher:
Wiley
Journal:
JCPP Advances More from this journal
Volume:
4
Issue:
1
Article number:
e12202
Publication date:
2023-10-11
Acceptance date:
2023-09-18
DOI:
EISSN:
2692-9384


Language:
English
Pubs id:
1532532
Local pid:
pubs:1532532
Deposit date:
2023-09-19

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