Dissociative Symptoms and Mother's Marital Status in Young Adult Population

Abstract

Current findings suggest that mother's marital status indicating father's absence or conflicting relationship to father may be specifically related to dissociation and other stress-related symptoms.We have assessed relationships of mother's marital status, dissociative symptoms, and other psychopathological manifestations in a sample of 19 years’ old young adults (N = 364) participating in European longitudinal study (European Longitudinal Study of Parenthood and Childhood).The results show clinically significant manifestations of dissociative symptoms in young adult men whose mothers were fatherless and in women whose mothers were re-married. Other psychopathological symptoms did not reach clinically significant manifestations.The results suggest that significant factor related to high level of dissociative symptoms in men growing in fatherless families might be linked with disturbed and conflicting attachment to a father's figure and pathological dependent attachment to mother. In women dissociative symptoms likely are linked to conflicting relationship between mother and daughter associated with stepfather’ presence in the family.

Cohort Profile: The European Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood (ELSPAC) in the Czech Republic

“… 26 Clinically significant manifestations of dissociative symptoms were also found in young adult men whose mothers were single and in women whose mothers were re-married. 27 The results suggest that dissociative symptoms in young men in fatherless families are linked with conflicting attachment to a father and pathological dependency on mothers, whereas in women, dissociative symptoms appear to be linked to presence of a stepfather in the family. Assessment of dental caries in a subsample of the cohort 28 suggested that haplotypes of proinflammatory cytokines are involved in the pathogenesis of gingivitis in adolescents.…”

Masked presentations of dissociative disorder among Sri Lankan adolescents

“…European studies have reported that conflictual relationships between parents could be associated with dissociative symptoms in young people (7). In all three case reports, there were family conflicts before the onset of the symptoms.…”

Possession Disorder in Makassar Indonesia

“…Whereas fathers play an important and unique role in children's development especially for girls (Hill et al, 2016;Pan et al, 2016). The absence of a father figure and a conflicted relationship between parents are related to dissociative symptoms (Bob et al, 2015). Incorrect parenting during childhood including emotional neglect by biological parents is the cause of dissociative disorder (Krüger & Fletcher, 2017) or internalized symptoms/disorders (Otto, et al, 2016 The parenting pattern and transmission of religious belief regarding the existence of demons or spirits taught during childhood with the fear that accompanied the process of transmission supports the previous study (Siswanto, 2015).…”