A similar distinction between two forms of dissociation has also been found in two independent French samples (combining EFA and CFA) and in a CFA study conducted by Armour et al.

Other studies found evidence of a two-factor solution, which was interpreted as distinguishing pathological and non-pathological dissociation using taxometric analysis.

Also, using PCA, a four factor model was proposed by both Amdur and Liberzon’s and Espírito Santo and Abreu’s studies. However, using principal component analysis (PCA), Ray and colleagues identified seven factors underlying the DES-II items. Carlson and Putnam provided initial evidence for a three-factor model, which was repeatedly found in some studies using exploratory (EFA) or confirmatory (CFA) factor analysis. Unfortunately, studies exploring the factor structure of the DES-II yielded contrasting results, failing to provide consistent support for a specific conceptual model. Although new instruments have recently been developed, such as the Shutdown Dissociation Scale and the Dissociative Symptom Scale, the Dissociative Experience Scale (DES) and its revised version remain the most widely used self-report instruments to measure the frequency of dissociative experiences, and it has been translated in several languages. In the empirical literature, factor analytic studies on measures of dissociation attempted to clarify the underlying structure of dissociative experiences. For example, dissociation has been historically described as encompassing three domains, namely absorption, depersonalization/derealization and amnesia experiences, whereas another prominent conceptualization described two forms of dissociations, detachment and compartmentalization. However, a consensual conceptualization of dissociation is still lacking. Consequently, the construct of dissociation appears to be a central aspect in psychiatry as well as clinical and forensic psychology. Beyond psychiatric conditions, others maladaptive correlates have been linked to pathological dissociation, as for example violent behaviors. However, at a pathological level (in terms of frequency and associated distress), dissociation has been related with a wide range of psychiatric disorders. When occasional, dissociative experiences are part of a normal psychological life in non-clinical populations. Results provided new knowledge on the DES-II structure and its psychometric properties, contributing to the understanding and measurement of the dissociation construct.ĭissociation is characterized by the alteration of those functions that normally allow an integration of the self, including identity, memory, consciousness, affectivity, perception, and cognition. Participants tended to select more often lower categories of the response scale. After their deletion, the resulting scale was composed by 25 items, which had low levels of misfit and high reliability, and showed measurement invariance. Three items of the scale had strong misfit. Moreover, Rasch estimation allows to determine the best response scale, in terms of response modalities number and their discriminant power. This model allows the estimation of participants’ level of dissociation, the degree of misfit of each item, the reliability of each item, and their measurement invariance. Methodsĭata were obtained on a sample composed by 320 Italian participants (122 inmates and 198 community-dwelling individuals) and were analyzed with the Rasch model. analyzing the functioning of the response scale. In order to address issues related to the inconsistency of previous results, the aim of the present study was to collect new psychometric evidence to improve the properties of the DES-II using Rasch analysis, i.e. Despite its popularity, the most problematic aspect of the DES-II is the inconsistency in its factor structure, which is probably due to the tendency to treat ordinal responses as responses on an interval scale, as it is assumed in the Classical Test Theory approach. However, dissociative experiences can also be part of normal psychological life. The DES-II has been prevalently used as a screening tool in patients suffering from psychotic disorders or schizophrenia. The Dissociative Experiences Scale-II (DES-II) is a self-report questionnaire that measures dissociative experiences such as derealization, depersonalization, absorption and amnesia.

Point measure vs measure of validity