Relations between the Dissociative Experiences Scale and Two MMPI-2 Dissociation Scales

This study examines relationships between two MMPI-2 screening instruments for dissociative symptoms, the North Carolina Dissociation Index (NCDI) and Phillips Dissociation Scale (PDS), and the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) in a clinical sample of adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. The DES and MMPI-2 were completed by 138 women and 22 men. Correlations between the NCDI, PDS, and DES total, factor (amnesia, absorption/imaginative involvement, and derealization/depersonalization), and taxon (DES-T) scores were calculated for men and women . The NCDI and PDS were positively correlated; however, neither correlated with DES among either men or women. The PDS was positively correlated with the DES amnesia factor and DES -T in men ; however, internal consistency of the PDS was quite low for men in our sample (.65). No significant correlations were found between the PDS and DES in women. Results do not support the use of either the PDS or NCDI as a screening instrument for dissociative symptomatology in adults with histories of childhood sexual abuse