Somatoform dissociation and posttraumatic stress syndrome – two sides of the same medal? A comparison of symptom profiles, trauma history and altered affect regulation between patients with functional neurological symptoms and patients with PTSD

Table 2 Median and range of symptom severity, adversity/trauma measures and alexithymia scoresok

	HC n = 40	DD⁻ n = 40	DD⁺ n = 20	PTSD patients n = 39
	median (range)	median (range)	median (range)	median (range)
Symptom severity
SDQ-20	21 (20 – 26) n = 40	28.5 (20 – 54) n = 40	36.5 (29 – 56) n = 18	36 (20 – 91) n = 39
DES	6.49 (0 – 25.36) n = 40	12.14 (0 – 48.57) n = 40	19.64 (9.64 – 51.79) n = 20	38.57 (8.57 – 80.71) n = 39
PDS_Sym	0 (0 – 8) n = 40	4 (0 – 38) n = 40	30 (16 – 46) n = 20	36 (13 – 48) n = 39
Adversity/trauma measures
KERF_Sum	35.08 (0 – 235.5) n = 40	90.17 (0 – 533.08) n = 38	219.67 (18.83 – 605) n = 17	369 (60 – 885.75) n = 39
KERF_Phy	7.33 (0 – 141.67) n = 40	40.33 (0 – 229.3) n = 38	33 (1.67 – 304) n = 17	141 (0 – 462) n = 39
KERF_Emo	25 (0 – 218) n = 40	52.5 (0 – 329) n = 38	141 (14.5 – 362) n = 17	239.5 (51 – 423.5) n = 39
KERF_Sex	0 (0 – 1.3) n = 40	0 (0 – 23.8) n = 38	0 (0 – 27.5) n = 17	7.5 (0 – 40) n = 39
PDS_Event	1.5 (0 – 5) n = 40	3 (0 – 7) n = 40	4 (2 – 7) n = 20	5 (2 – 8) n = 39
Alexithymia
TAS-26	1.94 (1.33 – 3.05) n = 40	2.58 (1.39 – 3.44) n = 40	2.92 (1.83 – 4.33) n = 20	3.44 (1.66 – 4.55) n = 39

Note. HC healthy comparison participants, DD ⁻ patients diagnosed with dissociative disorder without co-occuring PTSD, DD ⁺ patients diagnosed with dissociative disorder with co-occuring PTSD, PTSD posttraumatic stress disorder, SDQ-20 severity of somatoform dissociative symptoms, verified by the Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire, DES severity of psychoform dissociative symptoms, using the Dissociative Experience Scale, PDS_Sym load of posttraumatic symptoms, KERF_Sum overall exposure to childhood adversities, KERF_Phy physical maltreatment during childhood, KERF_Emo emotional neglect and maltreatment during childhood, KERF_Sex sexual violence during childhood, PDS_Event Sum of lifetime traumatic experience assessed with the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale, TAS-26 Alexithymia, assessed with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale

ISSN: 1471-244X