Abstract:
Objective and method: The aim of this study is to analyze
the utility of the Dissociative Experience Scale (DES) as a screener for dissociative disorders. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IIIR Dissociative Disorders (SCID-D) was used as standard of comparison. Forty-three patients with a dissociative disorder and 36 control patients with a range of psychiatric diagnoses participated in the study.
Results: The DES distinguishes dissociative disorder patients from non-dissociative disorder patients very well (p<.0001); diagnostic utility of the DES based on Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis is excellent (AUC=.96). The optimal cut-off score of 25 yields good to excellent sensitivity (93 %) and specificity (86%). The positive predictive value of the DES (≥25) in random clinical samples is limited (.26 - .54) due to the relatively low estimated prevalence rate of dissociative disorders (5 - 15% respectively); the negative predictive value is high (.99). The use of a confirmatory interview such as the SCID-D is required to eliminate false positives.