Dissociation : Vol. 6, No. 1 (Mar. 1993)

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Dissociation : Vol. 6, No. 1, p. 028-037 : The validation of the Dissociative Experiences Scale against the criterion of the SCID-D, using Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) analysis
(Ridgeview Institute and the International Society for the Study of Multiple Personality and Dissociation, 1993-03) Draijer, Nel, 1950-; Boon, Suzette
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.