Is peritraumatic dissociation a risk factor for PTSD?

Abstract

In the literature, peritraumatic dissociation is frequently considered to be a risk factor for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In the last few years, a large number of studies have investigated the connections between PTSD and peritraumatic dissociation. A meta-analysis was conducted, including 35 empirical studies that discuss the connections between peritraumatic dissociation and PTSD. Meta-analysis makes it possible to undertake a systematic integration of findings produced by primary studies of this kind to date. The average effect size was r=0.36, indicating a significant positive correlation between the two dimensions. In this article, the authors make a distinction between correlate and risk factor. Therefore, subgroup analyses of quasi-prospective and retrospective studies were undertaken with a view to establishing whether peritraumatic dissociation represents a risk factor for the development of PTSD following a traumatic event. The average effect size in the quasi-prospective studies was r=0.34, which was significant. From a methodological viewpoint, the results show that peritraumatic dissociation is a moderate risk factor for PTSD. Nonetheless, the conceptualization of peritraumatic dissociation in the framework of psychotraumatic stress syndromes--is it a predictor, a symptom, or something else entirely?--needs to be addressed by future research.