Psychometric Comparison of Dissociative Experiences Scales II and C: A Weak Trauma‐Dissociation Link

The debate regarding the relationship between dissociation and trauma has raised questions regarding the validity of measures of dissociation. Dalenberg et al.'s ( 2012 ) meta‐analysis included studies using the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES II), but excluded the DES‐Comparison (DES‐C) scale, claiming that it lacked validity as a measure of dissociation. Lynn et al. ( 2014 ) contended that omitting those studies might have skewed the results. In the current study, we compared the psychometric properties of both measures in two nonclinical US adult (student, general population) samples to evaluate the convergent and discriminant validity of the scales. We found support for the DES‐II as a measure of dissociation as well as the validity and reliability of the DES‐C, which compares well to the DES II. Compared with studies in Dalenberg et al., we found lower correlations between trauma and dissociation. No empirical basis exists to exclude studies using the DES‐C in literature reviews. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.