Personality factors from the five-factor model of personality that predict dissociative tendencies in a clinical population

Abstract

This study examined the relation between the five factor model of personality and dissociative tendencies using a heterogeneous clinical population. Thus, 86 psychiatric patients (33 male, 53 female) from a variety of adult psychiatric clinics completed the Dissociative Experiences Scale [Bernstein, E. M., & Putnam, F. W. (1986). Development, reliability, and validity of a dissociation scale. Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases, 174, 727–735] and the Revised NEO Personality Inventory [Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (1992). The revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) and NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) professional manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources]. Results indicated that neuroticism, extraversion, and conscientiousness were all significantly correlated with dissociative tendencies. The data provide empirical support for the conceptual relations between dissociative tendencies and personality.