Abstract
Background and objectivesAnecdotal and research evidence suggests that individuals with dissociative symptoms exhibit hyperassociativity, which might explain several key features of their condition. The aim of our study was to investigate the link between dissociative tendencies and hyperassociativity among college students. MethodsThe study (n = 118) entailed various measures of hyperassociativity, measures of dissociative tendencies, depressive experiences, unusual sleep experiences, cognitive failures, and alexithymia. ResultsWe found a positive association between dissociative experiences (i.e., depersonalization) and hyperassociativity specific for associative fluency and associative flexibility tasks (including neutral and valenced material), but not for a remote association task. We also found tentative evidence for cognitive failures and alexithymia explaining the link between hyperassociativity and daytime dissociation and nighttime unusual sleep experiences. LimitationsLimitations include the use of hyperassociation tasks limited to verbal associations vs. imagistic associations, the lack of a measure of trauma history, and a sample limited to college students. ConclusionOur study reports a link between depersonalization and hyperassociativity on tasks that allow for free associations across different semantic domains, potentially explained by alexithymia and cognitive failures. This finding may, with replication, open the pathway to applied intervention studies.
Highlights
Dissociative experiences pertain to feeling disconnected from your self and the world around you
Our study focuses on the dissociative experiences of absorption, depersonalization, and amnesia among college students
We assessed whether a positive correlation exists between hyper associativity and dissociative experiences among college students
Summary
Dissociative experiences pertain to feeling disconnected from your self and the world around you. Our study focuses on the dissociative experiences of absorption (i.e., narrowing of con sciousness), depersonalization (i.e., detachment from the self and the body or being a detached observer of oneself), and amnesia (i.e., gaps in memory) among college students. Conclusion: Our study reports a link between depersonalization and hyperassociativity on tasks that allow for free associations across different semantic domains, potentially explained by alexithymia and cognitive failures. This finding may, with replication, open the pathway to applied intervention studies
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