Citation

Ruiz MA, Poythress NG, Lilienfeld SO, Douglas KS. Assessment 2008; 15(4): 511-521.

Affiliation

University of South Florida, Florida, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1073191108315548

PMID

18390842

Abstract

The authors examined the psychometric properties, factor structure, and construct validity of the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) in a large offender sample (N = 1,515). Although the DES is widely used with community and clinical samples, minimal work has examined offender samples. Participants were administered self-report and interview measures, and a subsample was followed longitudinally to determine criminal and violent recidivism. The DES exhibited good psychometric properties, but an identified three-factor structure was of questionable replicability. Moreover, the DES factors displayed no evidence of differential correlates. DES total scores were correlated with trauma-related variables even after controlling for negative affectivity. Total scores were related to measures of antisocial behavior and aggression but did not predict recidivism. These findings support the reliability and construct validity of the DES in offenders but raise questions regarding the clinical utility of the DES factor scores above and beyond that of the total score.

Language: en