Evaluation of peritraumatic dissociation as a multidimensional construct and its contribution as a predictor of PTSD severity

It has been debated whether peritraumatic dissociation (PD) is a unidimensional construct and a unique predictor of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Hence, the present study conducted an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of PD to determine if it is multifactorial, and whether one factor, independently and uniquely predicted PTSD severity, in a sample of motor vehicle accident (MVA) victims. PD was evaluated in the presence of other reliable risk factors that were either pre-existing vulnerabilities: female gender, neuroticism, trait dissociation, coping styles or peritraumatic: fear of dying. It was hypothesised that females and individuals with higher peritraumatic dissociation, trait dissociation, neuroticism, avoidant- or emotion-oriented coping styles, or fear of dying scores would experience greater PTSD severity. Two PD factors, altered awareness and depersonalisation/derealisation were obtained by EFA. In the final model, only PD Factor 1, altered awareness, alongside trait dissociation and fear of dying predicted PTSD severity and collectively explained 40.6% of the total variance. In addition, each predictor uniquely contributed to the amount of variance explained. This study highlights the importance of assessment of PD, trait dissociation, and subjective appraisals of trauma, like fear of dying, to ascertain susceptibility to PTSD post-MVA and to provide appropriate clinical intervention for such symptomatology.