Abstract:
The Clinician-Administered Dissociative States Scale (CADSS) is a
structured clinical interview to assess state dissociation rated by
clinicians. The current study aimed to validate the German
version of CADSS by comparing it to the established self-report
measures for dissociation and exploring its underlying factor
structure. Severity of within-session state dissociation was
assessed directly following a standard psychotherapy session
in a trauma-exposed patient sample (N= 105; 81.9% female).
Internal consistency, convergent validity with other dissociation
measures, and the factorial structure of the instrument were
analyzed. The German version exhibited excellent internal consistency
(Cronbach’s α = .94) and correlated significantly with
self-report measures of state dissociation (r = .86) and trait
dissociation (r = .77) indicative of high convergent validity.
Exploratory factor analysis revealed a three-factor solution
with the factors (1) Depersonalization/Derealization, (2)
Identity Confusion/Alteration, and (3) Amnesia. Results support
the CADSS as a useful instrument to assess state dissociation,
conceptualized as a multidimensional construct, in clinical
practice.