The causal link between self-reported trauma and dissociation: a critical review

The idea that traumatic experiences cause dissociative symptoms is a recurr ent theme in clinical literature. The present article summarizes evidence t hat cast doubts on the commonly voiced view that the connection between sel f-reported trauma and dissociation is a simple and robust one. It is argued that: (1) the correlations between self-reported traumatic experiences and dissociative symptoms reported in the literature are, at best, modest; (2) other factors may act as a third variable in the relationship between trau ma and dissociation; and (3) high scores on the Dissociative Experiences Sc ale are accompanied by fantasy proneness, heightened suggestibility, and su sceptibility to pseudomemories. These correlates of dissociation may promot e a positive response bias to retrospective self-report instruments of trau matic experiences. Thus, the possibility that dissociation encourages self- reported traumatic experiences rather than vice versa merits investigation. While attractive, simple models in which trauma directly causes dissociati on are unlikely to be true. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reser ved.