CULTURAL-DIFFERENCES ON 3 MEASURES OF DISSOCIATION IN A SUBSTANCE-ABUSE POPULATION

Scores on three measures of dissociation were compared between 48 Afri can American and 48 Caucasian men being treated for substance abuse at a VA Medical Center. The three assessment instruments included the Di ssociative Experience Scale. the Questionnaire of Experiences of Disso ciation. and the North Carolina index of Dissociation. Groups were mat ched with respect to age, education, marital status, number of previou s treatments. IQ, employment status. history of childhood abuse. and p sychological discomfort. In each case, the African-American group scor ed higher, with statistical significance being achieved on two of the three instruments. Potential implications of these findings were discu ssed and future research was suggested. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons.