Assessment of dissociation among combat-exposed soldiers with and without posttraumatic stress disorder

Figures & data

Table 1 Sociodemographic features of the subjects

Features	Group I (n=84)	Group II (n=50)	Group III (n=50)	Test statistic	p
Age (years)^a	30.3±5.6	29.0±5.0	28.8±4.0	1.8	0.17
Education (years)^a	9.5±2.0	8.5±3.3	8.7±3.4	2.4	0.09
Marital status, n (%)^b
Married	46 (54.8)	22 (44)	15 (30)	8.2	0.08
Single	28 (33.3)	22 (44)	28 (56)
Divorced	10 (11.9)	6 (12)	7 (14)

Group I: Combat-exposed subjects with PTSD; Group II: Combat-exposed healthy subjects; Group III: Healthy subjects.

^aANOVA

^bChi-Square test

Table 2 Comparison of Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) scores among groups

Features	Group I	Group II	Group III	Test statistic	Comparisons	p
DES scores [n (%)]	84 (45.6)	50 (27.2)	50 (27.2)
Total score [mean (SD)]^a	44.4 (19.9)	26.9 (12.4)	13.3 (13.3)	81.8	I>II>III	<0.001*
DES Amn score [mean (SD)]^a	13.7 (6.6)	9.3 (4.4)	4.2 (3.8)	75.5	I>II>III	<0.001*
DES Dep/Der score [mean (SD)]^a	17.1 (7.8)	7.9 (3.4)	4.2 (4.5)	94.9	I>II>III	<0.001*
DES Abs score [mean (SD)]^a	13.4 (6.5)	9.4 (4.8)	4.9 (5.2)	62.0	I>II>III	<0.001*
DES score>30 [n (%)]^b	59 (71.9)	19 (23.2)	4 (4.9)	50.3	I>II>III	<0.001*
Total score [mean (SD)]^a	53.8 (15.3)	39.6 (7.7)	50.0 (14.7)	12.0	I=III>II	0.002*
DES Amn score [mean (SD)]^a	16.6 (5.6)	13.5 (3.5)	13.7 (4.7)	6.0	I>II=III	0.049*
DES Dep/Der score [mean (SD)]^a	20.8 (5.9)	11.3 (2.1)	17.0 (3.8)	35.9	I=III>II	<0.001*
DES Abs score [mean (SD)]^a	16.2 (5.5)	14.2 (3.6)	19.2 (6.6)	3.0	–	0.21

Group I: Combat-exposed subjects with PTSD; Group II: Combat-exposed healthy subjects; Group III: Healthy subjects.

DES Amn: DES amnesia factor; DES Dep/Der: DES depersonalization/derealization factor; DES Abs: DES absorption factor.

^aKruskal–Wallis test.

^bChi-square test value.

*Statistically significant.

Table 3 Effect of Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) sub-factor scores on total DES scores

	DES Dep/Der score [mean (SD)]	DES Amn score [mean (SD)]	DES Abs score [mean (SD)]	Test statistic^a	p
Group I (n=84)	17.1 (7.8)^b	13.7 (6.6)	13.4 (6.5)	48.3	<0.001*
Group II (n=50)	7.9 (3.4)^b	9.3 (4.4)	9.4 (4.8)	22.2	<0.001*
Group III (n=50)	4.2 (4.5)	4.2 (3.8)	4.9 (5.2)	4.9	0.085

DES Amn: DES amnesia factor; DES Dep/Der: DES depersonalization/derealization factor; DES Abs: DES absorption factor.

*Statistically significant.

^aFriedman test value.

^bFactors that affect the total DES score.

Table 4 Comparison of Groups I and II with respect to combat experiences (i.e., bodily injury, traumatic events, and posttraumatic duration since trauma)

	Group I (n=84)	Group II (n=50)	Test statistic	p
Posttraumatic duration (months), mean (SD)	47.2 (28.3)	53.7 (23.8)	−1.2^a	0.23
Traumatic event, n (%)
Mine explosion	8 (9.5)	3 (6)	3.1^b	0.21
Grenade explosion	4 (4.8)	0 (0)
Shootout	72 (85.7)	47 (94)
Bodily injury, n (%)
Yes	20 (23.8)	8 (16)	1.2^b	0.28
None	64 (76.2)	42 (84)

Group I: Combat-exposed subjects with PTSD; Group II: Combat-exposed healthy subjects;

^aMann–Whitney U test, Z value.

^bChi-square test value.

Table 5 The relationship between DES scores and certain factors among subjects in Groups I and II with a total DES score>30

	Beta	Relative risk	95% CI	p
Age (years)	0.04	1.04	0.97–1.13	0.28
Education (years)	0.02	1.02	0.88–1.19	0.78
Marital status	0.05	1.05	0.56–1.95	0.89
Bodily injury type	0.66	0.52	0.22–1.20	0.12
Presence of injury	−0.88	0.42	0.15–1.15	0.09
Posttraumatic duration	0.37	1.45	0.85–2.48	0.17
Presence of PTSD	−1.25	0.29	0.12–0.66	0.003*

Group I: Combat-exposed subjects with PTSD; Group II: Combat-exposed healthy subjects.*Statistically significant.

Table 6 The relationship between DES scores and bodily injury

	Group I (n=84)				Group II (n=50)
Features	BI (n=20)	nBI (n=64)	Z	p	BI (n=8)	nBI (n=42)	Z	p
Total DES scores	44.9±17.2	44.2±20.8	−0.21	0.833	36.1±17.7	25.1±10.4	−1.92	0.055
DES Amn	11.2±5.1	14.5±6.8	−1.90	0.058	11.5±6.7	8.8±3.7	−1.13	0.258
DES Dep/Der	22.3±7.4	15.5±7.3	−3.05	0.002*	10.0±4.6	7.5±3.0	−1.56	0.119
DES Abs	11.3±5.4	14.0±6.7	−1.54	0.123	13.3±6.9	8.7±4.0	−2.06	0.040*

Group I: Combat-exposed subjects with PTSD; Group II: Combat-exposed healthy subjects;

BI: Bodily injury-positive; nBI: Bodily injury-negative; DES Amn: DES amnesia factor.

DES Dep/Der: DES depersonalization/derealization factor; DES Abs: DES absorption factor.

Z: Mann–Whitney U test value.

*Statistically significant.