Question

Which of the following factors may lead to the development of a dissociative disorder (DID)?
DID Risk Factor
Children develop DID to cope with abuse by pretending it is happening to someone else
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Most people diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder are women who were severely abused as children.
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Someone with a history of multiple types of traumas will develop a single “abused” personality to deal with the traumas.
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Someone with a dissociative disorder may have split off a traumatic event in order to protect one’s sense of self.
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Not a DID Risk Factor

Answer 1

Answers:
- Children develop DID to cope with abuse by pretending it is happening to someone else — Risk factor (children can dissociate/create alternate states as a coping response to severe abuse).
- Most people diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder are women who were severely abused as children — Risk factor (DID is more commonly diagnosed in women and strongly associated with severe childhood abuse).
- Someone with a history of multiple types of traumas will develop a single “abused” personality to deal with the traumas — Not a DID risk factor (DID involves fragmentation into multiple identities, not typically a single “abused” personality).
- Someone with a dissociative disorder may have split off a traumatic event in order to protect one’s sense of self — Risk factor/mechanism (dissociative splitting of traumatic memories is a core process in DID).