No abstract

No abstract

Objective: The terms dissociative absorption and flow describe tendencies to experience immersive consciousness states, yet dissociation is sometimes considered maladaptive whereas flow is typically considered to be adaptive. We explored their trait and state associations with psychopathology, game task performance, and mood, and examined the hypothesized moderation effect of self-efficacy. Method: In the present study, 303 undergraduates completed trait questionnaires and 63 high/low absorbers reported their state before and after an immersive task (“Tetris”). Task performance was also assessed. Results: We found that flow was distinguishable from dissociation but was inconsistent; two of its components (“transformation of time” (ToT) and “merging of action and awareness” (MoAA)) were positively associated with dissociation and psychopathology, and, unlike other flow components, were unrelated to enhanced task performance. Although the trait associations of ToT and MoAA with psychopathology were not dependent on self-efficacy levels, trait dissociation was more strongly related to psychopathology under low self-efficacy. In the state phase, state immersion (both ToT and dissociative absorption) was associated with mood improvement, especially under low self-efficacy. Conclusion: Our results prompt us to question the validity of flow as a cohesive construct, as measured by the Dispositional Flow Scale-2. Immersive experiences, including ToT and dissociative absorption, led to short-term mood improvement in the state phase but, considering their trait associations with psychopathology, engaging in them excessively may be maladaptive in the long term.

Background: Despite a robust consensus regarding the potentially negative implications of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), research investigating risk and protective factors—particularly among well-functioning young adults—is scant. Dissociation is one of the major maladaptive outcomes of CSA. Nevertheless, CSA explains only about 10% of the variance of dissociation. Possibly, this modest effect size is due to protective factors moderating the relation between CSA and dissociative symptoms. One such factor may be the extent to which one has succeeded in developing a clear and coherent sense of who they are. Objective: We aimed to explore whether self-concept clarity (SCC) moderates the relationship between CSA and dissociation (Model 1), and an alternative hypothesis, whereby CSA may moderate the relationship between SCC and dissociation (Model 2). Participants and Setting: This was tested among 65 well-functioning young women drawn from an earlier study that intentionally oversampled CSA survivors. Methods: We included data from survivors of CSA by a known perpetrator ( n = 35) and women with no sexual trauma ( n = 30). Results: Findings were consistent with both Model 1 and Model 2, but only when depersonalization-derealization, namely detachment, was considered. Simple effects analyses revealed that CSA was related to depersonalization-derealization only under low SCC levels (Model 1), and SCC was negatively related to depersonalization-derealization only in the CSA group (Model 2). Conclusions: Findings suggest that SCC is a protective factor, buffering the association between CSA and detachment (depersonalization-derealization) symptoms. Clinical implications are discussed.