When you avoid your feelings, you may feel even worse: how depersonalization puts you at risk of depression.

Front Psychiatry

Department of Crisis Intervention and Psychotherapy, Institute of Applied Psychology, Faculty of Management and Social Communication, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.

Published: October 2024

Background: The clinical form of depersonalization affects approximately 1%-2% of the adult population. This study aimed to describe the symptoms of depersonalization in a non-clinical sample and to operationalize depersonalization as a regulatory mechanism. This article introduces the Depersonalization Mechanism Scale, 41-item measure developed to assess one's tendency for depersonalization in response to overstimulation. The aim of the study is to explore how depersonalization mechanism is associated with cognitive and behavioral emotion regulation strategies, depression, and anxiety.

Method: The study included a sample of 300 Polish adults (149 men) from the general population, ranging in age from 18 to 60. Participants were administered the following questionnaires: Depersonalization Mechanism Scale (DMS), Behavioral Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (BERQ), Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), Occupational Depression Inventory (ODI), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ), and Trait Anxiety Scale (SL-C).

Results: An exploratory factor analysis revealed a two-factor structure of Depersonalization Mechanism Scale, with very high reliability coefficients for both subscales and full scale. A regression analysis revealed that depersonalization mechanism is a significant predictor of depressive symptoms. Depersonalization mechanism is strongly correlated with maladaptive regulation strategies such as withdrawal, ignoring, rumination, catastrophizing, self-blame, and blaming others. Weaker but significant connections were identified with certain adaptive strategies: acceptance, positive refocusing, putting into perspective, and seeking social support. Women were more prone to depersonalization than men.

Conclusions: Further research on depersonalization in non-clinical samples may improve understanding of this mechanism in the general population. This knowledge, combined with greater education about non-clinical forms of depersonalization, may support preventive programs against depression and professional assistance for people facing acute or chronic stressful life events.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11528536PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1481439DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

depersonalization mechanism
24
depersonalization
14
mechanism scale
12
emotion regulation
12
symptoms depersonalization
8
depersonalization non-clinical
8
mechanism
8
behavioral emotion
8
regulation strategies
8
general population
8

Similar Publications

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!