Journal article
Exploring the complex relationship between anxiety and dissociation in a clinical population
Australian psychologist, Vol.60(6), pp.509-525
15/10/2025
Appears in Recent Faculty of Health Publications
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Abstract
Objective: To examine the relationship between anxiety symptoms and dissociative experiences in a clinical sample, using severity scores from standardised screening instruments.
Method: Secondary data were analysed from 482 Australian clients, primarily from private outpatient psychology services. All clients completed the Multidimensional Inventory of Dissociation-60 (MID-60), with subsets completing the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21; n = 295) or Generalised Anxiety Scale-7 (GAD-7; n = 223); 36 completed both. Clients were grouped by symptom severity based on established cut-offs for each measure. Differences in dissociation were assessed using ANOVA and odds ratios.
Results: Clients with moderate to severe anxiety (according to screening thresholds) were significantly more likely to score in the clinical range for dissociation. A six-fold risk was observed for physiological anxiety (DASS-21; OR = 5.87; r = .54, eta p2 = 0.24) and a two-and-a-half-fold risk for generalised anxiety (GAD-7; OR = 2.57, r = .35, eta p2 = 0.11). Anxiety was most predictive of depersonalisation/derealisation, distress about memory problems, self-confusion, flashbacks, and conversion symptoms.
Conclusion: Anxiety severity predicted higher dissociation, especially for physiological symptoms. Findings highlight the need for routine dissociation screening in clients with anxiety to support more accurate formulation and tailored interventions to improve treatment outcomes.
Details
- Title
- Exploring the complex relationship between anxiety and dissociation in a clinical population
- Creators
- Stephanie Hill - Southern Cross UniversityMary-Anne Kate - Southern Cross UniversityDavid L. Hegarty - Southern Cross UniversityBenjamin Buchanan - Southern Cross University
- Publication Details
- Australian psychologist, Vol.60(6), pp.509-525
- Publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- Number of pages
- 17
- Identifiers
- 991013372737102368
- Copyright
- © 2025 The Author(s).
- Academic Unit
- Human Sciences; Faculty of Health
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article