Citation

Keck Seeley SM, Perosa SL, Perosa LM. Child Abuse Negl. 2004; 28(7): 755-769.

Affiliation

Marion City Schools, Marion, OH, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.chiabu.2004.01.006

PMID

15261470

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to further the validation process of the Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale (A-DES). In this study, a 6-item Likert response format with descriptors was used when responding to the A-DES rather than the 11-item response format used in the original A-DES. METHOD: The internal reliability and construct validity of the A-DES were examined by analyzing the relationships between A-DES scores, sexual abuse, and behavior. The sample consisted of 65 females ranging in age from 11 to 18 who were categorized into two groups. Thirty-four adolescents who were not in therapy and who denied a history of traumatic experiences formed the nonclinical group. Thirty-one sexually abused adolescents who were currently receiving therapy formed the clinical group. The adolescent participants completed the A-DES, their parent or guardian completed a measure of behavior (the Child Behavior Checklist-CBCL), and the therapists of the clinical adolescents completed a Trauma History Form. RESULTS: The A-DES discriminated between the nonclinical and clinical sexually abused adolescents. However, in post hoc analyses, the A-DES did not discriminate between PTSD adolescents and those with other psychiatric diagnoses. Significant moderate correlations were found between the A-DES and the CBCL Total behavior problem scale and Internalizing and Externalizing scales. CONCLUSIONS: The A-DES items are internally consistent, and the A-DES shows promise for screening adolescents for pathological dissociation.

Language: en