The Desire to Dissociate Scale: factor analysis, cross-cultural findings, and links to substance-induced dissociation

Past research identified that a desire for dissociative experiences, rather than dissociative tendencies, mediate the relationship between early sexual abuse and problem drinking in college students. Desire to dissociate was conceptualized as a mechanism facilitating substance-induced dissociation or the use of substances to achieve dissociative-like experiences and was measured using a modified version of the Dissociative Experiences Scale-II. The validity and cross-cultural generalizability of the modified scale are not yet known.<br>ObjectivesThe current study examined the psychometric properties of the modified scale, exploring findings across U.S. and Filipino college samples, and explored how the desire to dissociate construct related to other variables linked to substance-induced dissociation. <i>Methods</i>: Participants were recruited across two U.S. samples and one Filipino sample (N = 2404; 72% female). Instead of asking “how often do you experience” dissociative items, 14-