Dissociation mediates the relationship between peer victimization and hallucinatory experiences among early adolescents

We examined whether dissociation mediates the relationship between peer victimization and hallucinatory experiences among 10-year-old adolescents using a population-based cross-sectional survey of early adolescents and their main parent (Tokyo Early Adolescence Survey; N =4478). We examined the mediating effect of dissociation, as well as external locus of control and depressive symptoms, on the relationship between peer victimization and hallucinatory experiences using path analysis. The model assuming mediation effects indicated good model fit (comparative fit index = .999; root mean square error of approximation = .015). The mediation effect between peer victimization and hallucination via dissociation (standardized indirect effect = .038, p <.001) was statistically significant, whereas the mediation effects of depressive symptoms (standardized indirect effect =−.0066, p =0.318) and external locus of control (standardized indirect effect = .0024, p =0.321) were not significant. These results suggest that dissociation is a mediator in the relation between peer victimization and hallucinatory experiences in early adolescence. For appropriate intervention strategies, assessing dissociation and peer victimization as they affect hallucinatory experiences is necessary.
Source: Schizophrenia Research: Cognition - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research