Relationship Between Childhood Trauma, Mindfulness, and Dissociation in Subjects With and Without Hallucination Proneness

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between childhood traumas, mindfulness, and dissociation (more specifically, absorption and depersonalization) in healthy subjects with and without hallucination proneness. A sample of 318 subjects was given the Launay-Slade Hallucination Scale-Revised (R. P. Bentall & P. Slade, 1985). From this sample, 2 groups were formed: one with high and the other with low hallucination proneness. Furthermore, all participants were given the Tellegen Absorption Scale (A. Tellegen & G. Atkinson, 1974), the Cambridge Depersonalization Scale (M. Sierra & G. E. Berrios, 2000), the Southampton Mindfulness Questionnaire (P. D. J. Chadwick et al., 2008), and the Trauma Questionnaire (J. R. E. Davidson, D. Hughes, & D. G. Blazer, 1990). The results showed that in the group with high hallucination proneness, there were significantly more subjects with traumatic experiences than in the group with low predisposition, although no significant difference in the mean number of traumatic experiences undergone in childhood was found between the 2 groups, although there was a trend toward significance. A correlation analysis showed a significant negative association between mindfulness on the one hand and absorption and depersonalization on the other. A positive relationship was also found between childhood traumas and absorption and depersonalization. Finally, multiple mediation analysis showed that the absorption and depersonalization variables acted as mediators between childhood traumas and hallucination proneness. We discuss the importance of the relationship between the variables studied and hallucination proneness and suggest some approaches for their treatment.

Dissociation mediates the relationship between childhood maltreatment and subclinical psychosis

“…This replicates and extends earlier findings (Perona-Garcelan et al, 2014), and indicates that delusional ideation as well as hallucination-proneness is likely to be affected by absorption in non-clinical groups. Absorption is a form of intensively focused attention in which a person becomes immersed in his or her mental imagery.…”

“…As predicted, dissociation mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and hallucination-proneness. This is consistent with similar results in clinical groups and initial research with non-clinical participants (Varese, Barkus & Bentall, 2012;Perona-Garcelan et al, 2012;Perona-Garcelan et al, 2014).…”

“…This was unexpected and inconsistent with previous findings (Perona-Garcelan et al, 2012;Perona-Garcelan et al, 2014). Although the results were approaching significance, it may be that non-pathological depersonalisation does not have such detrimental effects on information- A c c e p t e d M a n u s c r i p t…”

“…Non-clinical studies have demonstrated similar outcomes in Spanish university students (Perona-Garcelan et al, 2014) and shown that dissociation may mediate the relationship between traumatic events and attenuated psychotic experiences in young people from Black and Hispanic ethnic groups (Anglin et al, 2015).…”

“…Absorption is a form of intensively focused attention in which a person becomes immersed in his or her mental imagery (see Dalenberg & Paulson, 2010). There is some evidence that both depersonalisation and absorption mediate the relationship between early trauma and hallucinatory experience in clinical and non-clinical groups (Perona-Garcelan et al, 2012;Perona-Garcelan et al, 2014). However, the validity of the most commonly used measure of depersonalisation, a sub-scale of the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES), has been questioned (Sierra & Berrios, 2000).…”