Does Dissociation Have an Emotion-Regulation Function? Evidence From Daily Life and the Laboratory

Abstract

Dissociation has long been thought to regulate distressing emotions. However, empirical findings are mixed. To test the purported regulatory effects of dissociation, we examined 88 participants with borderline personality disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and/or derealization/depersonalization disorder who experienced frequent dissociation. Specifically, we collected dense experience-sampling and continuous electrocardiogram data 1 week in daily life and additional electrodermal data, blood pressure, and salivary cortisol data during the Trier Social Stress Test. Results from dynamic-structural-equation and latent-change-score models showed a strong contemporaneous link between negative affect and dissociation in both daily life and the laboratory. However, we found no reduction in negative affect following dissociation and no consistent alteration in physiological responses during or after dissociation. These findings challenge traditional views of the emotion-regulatory functions of dissociation, highlighting the maladaptive nature of recurrent dissociation.