Dissociative Experiences in China

• Published in: Journal of trauma & dissociation Vol. 7; no. 3; pp. 23 - 38
• Main Authors: Xiao, Zeping, Yan, Hequin, Wang, Zhen, Zhou, Zheng, Xu, Yong, Cheng, Jue, Zhang, Haiyin, Ross, Colin A., Keyes, Benjamin B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Binghampton, NY Taylor & Francis Group 19.07.2006; Haworth Press
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Asian Continental Ancestry Group - psychology; Behavioral Symptoms - ethnology; Behavioral Symptoms - psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child Abuse - ethnology; Child Abuse - psychology; China; China - epidemiology; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Dissociation; Dissociative Disorders - ethnology; Dissociative Disorders - psychology; dissociative experiences; Female; Humans; Life Change Events; Male; Manitoba - epidemiology; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Models, Psychological; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Risk Factors; Asia; China; Manitoba; Social environment; Human; dissociative experiences; Prevalence; Dissociative disorder; Mental health; Victimology; Epidemiology; Personal experience; Child abuse; China; Early traumatism; Sexual abuse; Dissociation; Antecedent; Public health
• ISSN: 1529-9732; 1529-9740
• DOI: 10.1300/J229v07n03_03

The Dissociative Experiences Scale was administered to a non-clinical sample in Shanghai, China (N = 618) and the results were compared with a previous sample of the general population from Winnipeg, Canada (N = 1055). The Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule was administered to the 618 Chinese participants and results were compared with those of the Canadian participants (N = 502). In addition, both measures were administered to a sample of Chinese psychiatric in-patients (N = 423) and outpatients (N = 304). Rates of childhood trauma and dissociation were far lower in the Chinese non-clinical sample than in the two Chinese psychiatric patient groups, and far lower than in the Canadian general population. Among the 618 respondents in the Chinese non-clinical sample, no childhood sexual abuse was reported and only one person reported childhood physical abuse. These rates of childhood abuse were far lower than in other non-clinical samples from China; for example, rates were 16.7% for sexual abuse of girls and 10.5% for sexual abuse of boys in a previous study. Among the more traumatized Chinese psychiatric patients, and among the Canadian respondents, dissociative experiences were much more common than in the Chinese general population. The data provide a base frequency for dissociation in non-clinical samples reporting little or no childhood physical and sexual abuse.