The Prevalence of Dissociative Disorders and Spirit Possession in the General Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis With the Moderating Effect of Individualism–Collectivism on Prevalence Rates

Abstract

Drawing on culturally sensitive approaches to the study of dissociation, in the present meta-analysis, we aimed to obtain pooled prevalence estimates for dissociative disorders and spirit possession and to test for the effect of nation-level individualism scores on the occurrence of pathological dissociation. Pooled odds ratios ( OR s) for the probability of women presenting with a dissociative disorder or with spirit possession relative to men were also computed. Individualism was positively associated with the prevalence of dissociative disorders: b = 0.712, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.274, 1.538], p = .015, n = 11. Women showed higher odds of having pathological dissociation, OR = 2.43, 95% CI = [1.18, 5.01], p = .03, n = 7, and spirit possession, OR = 4.31, 95% CI = [1.55, 11.99], p = .02, n = 5. A reliable prevalence estimate could be computed only for depersonalization disorder, for which, a predicted 1-month prevalence of 1.12% was obtained (95% CI = [0.61, 2.05], n = 6). These findings are discussed within a transtheoretical framework in an attempt to bridge the gap between the trauma and sociocultural models of dissociation.