Posttraumatic stress symptoms, dissociation, and alexithymia in an Italian sample of flood victims

Background: Several studies have demonstrated a significant association between dissociation and posttraumatic symptoms. A dissociative reaction during a traumatic event may seem to predict the later development of posttraumatic stress symptoms. Moreover, several researchers also observed an alexithymic condition in a variety of traumatized samples. Methods: A total of 287 flood victims (men = 159, 55.4%; women = 128, 44.6%) with an age range of 17-21 years (mean = 18.33; standard deviation = 0.68) completed the following: Impact of Event Scale-Revised, Dissociative Experiences Scale II, Twenty-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, and Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire. Results: We found significant correlations among all variables. Linear regression showed that peritraumatic dissociation plays a mediator role between alexithymia, dissociation, and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Conclusion: Our results seem to confirm the significant roles of both dissociation and alexithymia for the development of posttraumatic symptoms.