Dissociation in non-clinical and clinical sample of Czech adolescents. Reliability and validity of the Czech version of the Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine psychometric properties of the Czech language version of the Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale (A-DES) [2].

Methods: 653 non-clinical participants and 162 adolescent psychiatric inpatients completed Czech versions of the A-DES and the Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire (SDQ-20), and provided further information (data regarding demographic variables, diagnoses, further psychopathology).

Results: The Czech A-DES has very good internal consistency, test-retest reliability and a good validity, though its predictive power is limited. The ADES scores significantly correlate with the measure of somatoform dissociation, a presence of clinician-observed dissociative symptoms, reported traumatic experiences, self injurious behavior, and polysymptomatic diagnostic picture. A-DES scores were significantly higher in ADHD group, but not in a group with a diagnosis of a dissociative disorder.

Conclusions: The authors stress that all adolescent psychiatric patients who show more complex behavioral disturbances, have histories of trauma, show self-injurious behaviors or have ADHD diagnosis should be screened for dissociation.