Dissociative Experiences and Psychopathological Symptoms in a Non-Clinical Sample—Gender Differences and the Mediating Role of Self-Concept Clarity

Background: Dissociation is associated with multiple psychiatric disorders and mental health issues. However, there are some limitations in the existing studies, such as the predominant use of clinical samples and the lack of focus on potential mediators that can explain this relationship. Among the latter, an unclear self-concept may serve as a risk factor for many psychological disturbances, while a well-established self-concept may be a resilience factor. This study aimed to examine the gender differences among the variables, to test whether dissociative experiences are associated with psychopathological symptoms in a non-clinical sample, and to explore the mediating role of self-concept clarity. Materials and methods: 257 participants (Mage = 23.92 ± 7.33, 69.6% females) were included in the research. The Symptoms Checklist-90 , The Dissociative Experiences Scale , and The Self-Concept Clarity Scale were used. Results: Women scored higher on somatization (Mwomen = 1.28, SD = 0.86) than men (Mmen = 0.93, SD = 0.70), t(255) = 3.47, p = 0.001, d = 0.42. Moreover, women had a higher level of depression (Mwomen = 1.37, SD = 0.96) compared to men (Mmen = 0.98, SD = 0.77), t(255) = 3.49, p = 0.001, d = 0.43. Dissociative experiences were positively associated with psychopathological symptoms (r = 0.69, p < 0.01). Self-concept clarity mediated this relationship (ꞵ = 0.21, SE = 0.04, 95% CI [0.13, 0.30]). Conclusions: The findings showed gender differences regarding psychopathological symptoms and highlighted the importance of self-concept clarity in reducing the risk of developing them.