Developing an Understanding of the Relationship Between Anxiety and Dissociation in Adolescence

Anxiety is a common problem in adolescence and is hypothesised to be associated with dissociation, a range of distressing symptoms associated with reduced psychosocial functioning and increased clinical complexity. Yet, to date, research into the mechanisms of dissociation in adolescents has been limited. The present study investigated the link between trait anxiety and dissociative experiences (depersonalisation and ‘felt sense of anomaly’) using an online survey. Cognitive appraisals of dissociation, perseverative thinking, and body vigilance were assessed as potential mediating factors of this relationship. 1211 adolescents aged 13-18 years were recruited via social media advertisements and local schools. Linear regression showed a moderate positive relationship between trait anxiety and both dissociation constructs. Hierarchical regression indicated that cognitive appraisals of dissociation and perseverative thinking mediated the relationship between trait anxiety and both dissociation constructs, but body vigilance only mediated the relationship for depersonalisation. The final models accounted for 56.9% of variance in depersonalisation and 68.5% of variance in felt sense of anomaly. These results support the hypothesis that dissociation is associated with anxiety in adolescence. Importantly for future work in this field, they also demonstrate that dissociation constructs are separable, and that cognitive-behavioural conceptualisations may be valid for understanding dissociation in adolescence.