Dissociative and Psychotic Experiences of Adolescents Admitted to a Psychiatric Inpatient Unit

Abstract

A positive correlation between the incidences of dissociative and psychotic experiences has been consistently reported in a variety of adult populations. The present study was a preliminary investigation of the association between dissociative and psychotic experiences in adolescents requiring inpatient mental health care. No previous research has investigated this relationship in an adolescent cohort. Adolescents currently under inpatient care (n = 18) completed questionnaires assessing their experience of dissociative and psychotic phenomena. In line with previous research, a significant positive correlation was found between dissociative and psychotic experiences that remained highly significant once similarities between measures were taken into account. Recognizing the relationship between psychotic and dissociative experiences may be important in developing appropriate and effective treatment for young people experiencing mental health difficulties. Although the study is cross-sectional in nature and has a small sample, the results offer further evidence of the robust relationship between dissociative and psychotic experiences.

Keywords:

• adolescents
• dissociation
• psychotic symptoms
• trauma

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the young people who were inpatients at the Banksia Unit and their parents for generously agreeing to be involved in this study at a difficult time for them. Thanks also to Banksia staff for assisting in this research. The research described in this article was an unfunded student research project.