Differentiating Dissociative Disorders from Other Diagnostic Groups Through Somatoform Dissociation in Turkey

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the reliability, validity, and psychometric characteristics of the Turkish version of the Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire (SDQ-20). In this context, it investigated whether somatoform dissociation differentiates dissociative disorders from other diagnostic groups and non-clinical individuals. The Turkish Version of the SDQ-20 was administered to 50 patients with a dissociative disorder, 94 patients with psychiatric disorders other than dissociative disorder, and 175 non-clinical participants. To confirm the clinical diagnosis, all patients in the dissociative disorder group had been evaluated using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Dissociative Disorders. The internal consistency and the test-retest correlation of the SDQ-20 were excellent. The scale had strong correlations with the DES and the DIS-Q. There was a statistically significant difference between dissociative patients and other diagnostic groups on the SDQ-20 total score. The discriminative power of the SDQ-20 was as robust as that of the DES. There was no significant difference between the mean SDQ-20 total scores of Turkish and Dutch patients, but Turkish dissociative patients reported pseudoseizures more frequently than Dutch patients. The specificity of the short version of the scale (SDQ-5) was weak among Turkish patients. Dissociative disorders can be differentiated from other diagnostic groups through somatoform dissociation. The good psychometric characteristics of the SDQ-20 among Turkish participants support its cross-cultural validity.

Key Words:

• Pseudoseizure
• somatization
• dissociation
• culture
• hysteria