Confirmatory Factor Analyses of the Dissociative Experiences Scale in Schizophrenia: Results from Two Psychiatric Samples in South Korea

Abstract Background There is an accumulating body of literature on the importance of dissociative symptoms in schizophrenia. However, factorial validity of the dissociative experiences scale (DES), the most commonly used instrument for measuring dissociation, has not been tested in this population. Objectives This study examined the factor structure of the DES using confirmatory factor analyses in two psychiatric samples in South Korea. Methods The first data set was from 300 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia in a national provincial hospital, and the second of 252 was from a university-affiliated hospital. We tested five models from previous studies of one-factor model ( Bernstein, Ellason, Ross, & Vanderlinden, 2001 ), three-factor models (Carson et al. 1991; Ross, Ellason, & ANderson, 1995 ) and four- factor models (Kim et al., 2007; Park et al., 1995 ). Results In both samples, goodness-of-fit indices supported all the models but the one-factor model. Conclusion Our results are in line with previous literature on factor structure of the DES in dissociative disorders and a mixed clinical population indicating good factorial validity of the DES among inpatients with schizophrenia.