A Preliminary Longitudinal Analysis of Symptom Management, Post-traumatic Stress, and Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Adults with Dissociative Symptoms

ABSTRACT

People with dissociative symptoms are generally poly-symptomatic and require high levels of healthcare resources. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptoms are two major disabling comorbid symptoms in people with dissociative symptoms. While the sense of control over symptoms may be associated with PTSD and dissociative symptoms, the interplay among these factors over time remains unexplored. This study examined the predictors of PTSD and depressive symptoms in people with dissociative symptoms. Longitudinal data from 61 participants with dissociative symptoms were analyzed. Participants completed self-report measures of dissociative, depressive, and PTSD symptoms and the sense of control over symptoms two times (T1 & T2) with an interval of over one month. PTSD and depressive symptoms were not transient or time-specific, but they persisted over time in our sample. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that, after controlling for age, treatment usage and baseline symptom severity, T1 symptom management scores (β = −.264, p = .006) negatively predicted T2 PTSD symptoms, while T1 PTSD symptoms (β = .268, p = .017) positively predicted T2 depressive symptoms. T1 depressive symptoms (β = −.087, p = .339) did not predict T2 PTSD symptoms. The findings highlight the importance of improving symptom management skills and treating comorbid PTSD symptoms when working with people with dissociative symptoms.

KEYWORDS:

• Trauma
• post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• dissociation
• dissociative disorders
• depression

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the participants for taking part in this study. The data was based on the PhD project of the first author. The first author received the RGC Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme 2022/23 offered by the Research Grants Council, Hong Kong.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data Availability Statement

Due to the nature of this research, participants of this study did not agree for their data to be shared publicly, so supporting data is not available.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.