Profiles of dissociation symptoms in maltreated youth removed from home: A classification and regression tree analysis

Abstract

Research into the primary connections between child maltreatment and posttraumatic symptoms has centered on emotional dysregulation and especially trauma-related dissociation or psychological processes of compartmentalization and detachment. This study examined demographic, psychological, and clinical variables that may place maltreated youth at risk for experiencing various subtypes of traumatic dissociation. Participants included 102 gender and racially diverse youth aged 11–17 (M = 14.10, SD = 2.12) years who were removed from home due to maltreatment. Higher- and lower-risk profiles were identified via classification and regression analyses for dissociative amnesia, absorption and imaginative involvement, passive influence, depersonalization and derealization, and total dissociative symptoms. Age, racial identity, and gender emerged as key demographic variables across models. Emotional reactivity, sense of relatedness, sense of mastery, and self-blaming thoughts emerged as key psychological variables across models. PTSD symptoms, separation anxiety, and combined anxiety scores emerged as key clinical variables across models. Results from the present study may have clinical implications for maltreated youth experiencing traumatic dissociation, particularly with respect to how certain variables clustered together in higher- and lower-risk profiles. Such nuances may support the need for more culturally sensitive and targeted assessment and treatment protocols for this population, particularly in venues that demand rapid clinical decision-making processes.