Dissociative absorption, mind-wandering, and attention-deficit symptoms: Associations with obsessive-compulsive symptoms

Relationships between Self-Talk, Inner Speech, Mind Wandering, Mindfulness, Self-Concept Clarity, and Self-Regulation in University Students

In this study, the researchers explored novel relationships between the self-related processes of self-talk, inner speech, self-concept clarity, mindfulness, mind wandering, and self-regulation. Using self-report questionnaires (n = 227), we found a small positive association between inner speech use and mind wandering, as well as a medium positive association of mindfulness with self-regulation, in accordance with claims made in the literature. We found a medium positive relationship between mindfulness awareness and inner speech responses, potentially because mindfulness awareness represents an active state of self-focus, requiring verbal self-directed probes. Conversely, the correlations between reports of inner speech use and mindfulness acceptance were medium and negatively associated, perhaps because self-acceptance is a less active process that does not require as much self-directed speech as acquiring self-awareness, or perhaps self-acceptance consists of silencing the mind. Furthermore, the mindfulness-acceptance responses were negatively associated with mind wandering but positively correlated with self-concept clarity and self-regulation (all significant and of medium strength). Another noteworthy result was that mind wandering was negatively correlated with self-concept clarity and self-regulation, in accordance with the view that mind wandering represents a self-escape mechanism and thus impedes the transparency of one's self-view and efforts at controlling oneself. This study pieces together what has been presented in the literature, examining variables that are typically studied in isolation. Further, these results have implications for the future study of self-regulation in that self-focused attention, self-acceptance, and self-concept clarity may be mediators on the paths between self-talk or inner speech use and self-regulation.

Dissociative Dimensions and Their Implications for Emotional Dysregulation Underlying Borderline Personality Disorder Features

ABSTRACT

Emotion dysregulation is considered a core feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). The role of dissociation in BPD has been discussed from different perspectives. Nevertheless, implications of dissociation for BPD features are not clear. The current study estimated mediation effects of dissociative dimensions on the relationships between several emotion regulation strategies (ERSs) and BPD features among 281 adults recruited from the general population. The online survey administered a comprehensive self-report battery for the assessment of maladaptive and adaptive ERSs together with dissociative dimensions. Borderline personality disorder features were also self-report screened. Results showed significant indirect effects of dissociation on the relationships between ERSs and BPD features. Dissociation was a full mediator of the relationship between deficits with problem-solving skills and BPD criteria. The study confirmed that emotion dysregulation is a core feature of BPD and that the dissociative dimensions should be included as relevant maladaptive mechanisms sustaining BPD emotional difficulties.

Dissociative Trait as a Mediator of Problematic Internet Use in Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorder and Learning Disabilities

PURPOSE

This study used data from a national birth cohort study to investigate the duration of internet use at the age of 12 years among children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual disabilities (IDs) and learning disabilities (LDs) at the age of five and a half years (66 months) to understand whether an ADHD, ASD, ID and LD diagnosis in childhood increases the risk of problematic internet use (PIU) in adolescence. Furthermore, the pathway relationship of dissociative absorptive trait with PIU and these diagnoses was also investigated.

METHODS

The 5.5- and 12-year-old Taiwan Birth Cohort Study dataset was used (N = 17,694).

RESULTS

More boys were diagnosed with LDs, IDs, ADHD and ASD; however, girls were at increased likelihood of PIU. ID and ASD diagnoses were not associated with increasing PIU likelihood. However, children who had been diagnosed with LDs and ADHD, along with higher dissociative absorptive trait, had an indirectly increased likelihood of PIU in adolescence.

CONCLUSIONS

Dissociative absorption was found to be a mediating factor between childhood diagnosis and PIU and can be used as a screening indicator in prevention programs to reduce the duration and severity of PIU in children diagnosed with ADHD and LDs. Furthermore, with the increased prevalence of smartphone usage in adolescents, education policy-makers should pay greater attention to the issue of PIU in female adolescents.

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms and dissociative experiences: Suggested underlying mechanisms and implications for science and practice

A strong and specific link between obsessive-compulsive disorder or symptoms (OCD/S) and a tendency for dissociative experiences (e.g., depersonalization-derealization, absorption and imaginative involvement) cannot be explained by trauma and is poorly understood. The present theoretical formulation proposes five different models conceptualizing the relationship. According to Model 1, dissociative experiences result from OCD/S through inward-focused attention and repetition. According to Model 2, dissociative absorption causally brings about both OCD/S and associated cognitive risk factors, such as thought-action fusion, partly through impoverished sense of agency. The remaining models highlight common underlying causal mechanisms: temporo-parietal abnormalities impairing embodiment and sensory integration (Model 3); sleep alterations causing sleepiness and dreamlike thought or mixed sleep-wake states (Model 4); and a hyperactive, intrusive imagery system with a tendency for pictorial thinking (Model 5). The latter model relates to Maladaptive Daydreaming, a suggested dissociative syndrome with strong ties to the obsessive-compulsive spectrum. These five models point to potential directions for future research, as these theoretical accounts may aid the two fields in interacting with each other, to the benefit of both. Finally, several dissociation-informed paths for further developing clinical intervention in OCD are identified.

The Relationship Between Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms and Dissociation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the relationship between dissociation and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) and disorder (OCD). Specifically, the study aimed to (a) estimate the pooled prevalence of dissociative disorders among individuals with OCD; (b) systematically review the prevalence of OCD among individuals with dissociative disorders; (c) compare the severity of dissociative symptoms between individuals with OCD and non-clinical controls; (d) estimate the association between OCS and dissociative symptoms in the clinical and non-clinical populations. A systematic search was carried out in biomedical databases from inception to January 2022 according to PRISMA guidelines. A total of 41 studies met inclusion criteria (n = 9,438, 34.3% males). The pooled prevalence of dissociative disorders in adult samples with OCD was 8% (95% CI [3, 15], k = 5). Studies on adolescent and adult patients with dissociative disorders found that 17-32% reported comorbid OCD, while a prospective study of patients with early-onset dissociative disorders found no evidence of association with OCD. Individuals affected by OCD reported more dissociative symptoms than non-clinical controls (g = .67, 95% CI [.18, 1.16], k = 9). A moderate correlation between dissociative symptoms and OCS was detected (r = .43, 95% CI [.36, .51], k = 18). Sensitivity analyses showed small/moderate correlations between dissociative experiences and specific types of obsessions and compulsions. Findings suggest that dissociative symptoms are moderately related to OCS in both clinical and non-clinical populations. Interventions aimed to reduce dissociation might improve treatment response of patients suffering from OCD.

The Interplay Between Childhood Sexual Abuse, Self-Concept Clarity, and Dissociation: A Resilience-Based Perspective

BACKGROUND

Despite a robust consensus regarding the potentially negative implications of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), research investigating risk and protective factors-particularly among well-functioning young adults-is scant. Dissociation is one of the major maladaptive outcomes of CSA. Nevertheless, CSA explains only about 10% of the variance of dissociation. Possibly, this modest effect size is due to protective factors moderating the relation between CSA and dissociative symptoms. One such factor may be the extent to which one has succeeded in developing a clear and coherent sense of who they are.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to explore whether self-concept clarity (SCC) moderates the relationship between CSA and dissociation (Model 1), and an alternative hypothesis, whereby CSA may moderate the relationship between SCC and dissociation (Model 2).

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

This was tested among 65 well-functioning young women drawn from an earlier study that intentionally oversampled CSA survivors.

METHODS

We included data from survivors of CSA by a known perpetrator (n = 35) and women with no sexual trauma (n = 30).

RESULTS

Findings were consistent with both Model 1 and Model 2, but only when depersonalization-derealization, namely detachment, was considered. Simple effects analyses revealed that CSA was related to depersonalization-derealization only under low SCC levels (Model 1), and SCC was negatively related to depersonalization-derealization only in the CSA group (Model 2).

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that SCC is a protective factor, buffering the association between CSA and detachment (depersonalization-derealization) symptoms. Clinical implications are discussed.

Dissociative experiences among Lebanese university students: Association with mental health issues, the economic crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Beirut port explosion

BACKGROUND

Dissociative experiences are psychological manifestations characterized by a loss of connection and continuity between thoughts, emotions, environment, behavior, and identity. Lebanon has been facing indescribable events in the last few years, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the Beirut explosion, a crushing economic crisis with the highest inflation rate the country has known in over three decades. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between dissociative experiences and post-traumatic stress symptoms from the economic crisis, the Beirut blast, the COVID-19 pandemic, and other mental health issues in a sample of Lebanese university students.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study enrolled 419 active university students (18-35 years) from all over Lebanon (May and August 2021). The respondents received the online soft copy of a survey by a snowball sampling technique through social media and messaging apps. The questionnaire included sociodemographic data, the Dissociative Experience Scale (DES-II), the PTSD Checklist Specific Version (PCL-S), the Financial Wellbeing Scale, the Beirut Distress Scale, the Lebanese Anxiety Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire.

RESULTS

The two-factor model of the DES fitted best according to CFI, RMSEA and χ2/df values, but modestly according to TLI. The two factors were absorption and amnesia/depersonalization. Higher stress (Beta = 0.95) and more PTSD from the Beirut blast (Beta = 0.29) and from the economic crisis (Beta = 0.23) were significantly associated with more absorption. A personal history of depression (Beta = 6.03), higher stress (Beta = 0.36) and more PTSD from the Beirut blast (Beta = 0.27) and from the COVID-19 pandemic (Beta = 0.16) were significantly associated with more amnesia/depersonalization.

CONCLUSION

Significant rates of dissociative experiences and their sub-manifestations (amnesia/depersonalization and absorption) were found among Lebanese university students, with remarkable co-occurrence of a traumatic/stressful pattern, whether on an individual (history of PTSD) or a collective level (Post-traumatic manifestations from Beirut blast, COVID-19 pandemic and/or economic crisis), or whether correlated to an acute single event or to certain chronic stressors, or even to a personal history of depression. Such findings must raise the attention to serious mental and psychosocial alteration in the Lebanese national identity.

Absorption and dissociation mediate the relationship between direct verbal suggestibility and impulsivity/compulsivity

Direct verbal suggestibility refers to the capacity for an individual to experience perceptual, motor, affective and cognitive changes in response to verbal suggestions. Suggestibility is characterized by pronounced, yet reliable, inter-individual differences. Previous research and theoretical considerations suggest that greater impulsivity and compulsivity is associated to higher suggestibility, but the characteristics and mediating factors of this association are poorly understood. Using established psychometric measures in an online sample, we found positive correlations between the domain comprising impulsivity, compulsivity and behavioural activation, and the domain of suggestibility, dissociation and absorption. We also observed that dissociation and absorption mediated the link between suggestibility and impulsivity, and between suggestibility and behavioural activation, respectively. These results confirm the positive link between suggestibility and the impulsivity/compulsivity domain and shed new light on the characterisation of traits associated with suggestibility.

Mystical Experience

This paper proposes to study mystical experience by contrasting it with “ordinary” experience, i.e., with standard consciousness. It emphasises the construed nature of standard consciousness and the role that the mutual connectedness of mental contents plays in its construction. It then shows that removal of the factors that are responsible for the “making” of standard consciousness accounts for the principal features of mystical experience; these features are, therefore, mainly negative. Understanding mystical experience as the suppression of factors that contribute to the construction of standard consciousness, along with a discussion of the mechanism that makes this possible, permits answers to some frequently asked questions, such as: Why is mystical experience ineffable? What is its epistemic status? Does it have implications for our understanding of mind, consciousness, and self?

Maladaptive Daydreaming: Epidemiological Data on a Newly Identified Syndrome

BACKGROUND

Maladaptive Daydreaming (MD) is a recently identified psychological disorder, characterized by excessively and addictively engaging in vivid, narrative, intensely emotional fantasy activity, at times with the aid of music and/or repetitive movements, causing distress and functional impairment. Over 100,000 self-diagnosed individuals are active online and thousands of them have been researched; yet there are no studies using clinical interviews on large, systematic general (non-MD) samples, to assess the estimated prevalence of this suggested disorder, and establish norms for its main psychometric tool.

METHODS

Four independent Israeli samples (three student samples, and one sample representing the general Jewish-Israeli population; total N = 1,023) self-reported MD. In two samples, those exceeding the cutoff score for suspected MD were invited for a structured clinical interview.

RESULTS

The skewness of most items of the 16-item Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS-16) supports the notion of MD as a binary construct rather than a normally distributed trait. In the community sample, 4.2% exceeded the cutoff for suspected MD. Rates were higher when focusing on the young adult age group or student samples (5.5-8.5%), suggesting a likely age effect. Following clinical interviews, only 60% of interviewed respondents met criteria for diagnosis, suggesting a true point-prevalence of 2.5% in the Israeli-Jewish population.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first systematic clinical evaluation of the prevalence of MD. In an Israeli sample, a point-prevalence of 2.5% was found, like several other internalizing psychiatric syndromes. This result, along with the Non-normal nature of item distribution, both support the validity of MD as a psychological disorder, which should be considered as a potential addition to future psychiatric diagnostic manuals.

Predictors of obsessive-compulsive symptomology: mind wandering about the past and future

Purpose

Obsessive and compulsive tendencies are known to occur in the general population and involve worry around specific concerns (obsessions) and an urge to resolve the concern with thoughts or behaviours (compulsions). Spontaneous, but not deliberate, mind wandering experiences (when attention turns to internal mentation), have been found to predict obsessive– compulsive tendencies [Seli, P., Risko, E.F., Purdon, C. & Smilek, D. (2017). Intrusive thoughts: linking spontaneous mind wandering and OCD symptomatology. Psychological Research, 81, 392–398. 10.1007/s00426-016-0756-3]. Recent cognitive theory suggests a particular role for future-oriented spontaneous thought in obsessive–compulsive (OC) symptoms. Thus, we hypothesised that future-oriented rather than past-oriented spontaneous mind wandering would predict OC symptoms, such that more future-oriented mind wandering would be associated with increases in OC symptoms.

Methods

In an online survey design (nonclinical sample of 104 adults), participants completed three measures: Mind wandering: Spontaneous (MW-S) and Deliberate (MW-D) (Carriere, Seli & Smilek, 2013); Involuntary Autobiographical Memory Inventory (Berntsen, Rubin & Salgado, 2015); and Dimensional Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (DOCS) (Abramowitz et al., 2010). We adopted a linear regression approach to examine our hypotheses.

Results

We provided the first replication of the finding that OC symptoms are predicted by the frequency of spontaneous (but not deliberate) mind wandering, with an underlying positive relationship. Additionally, we found that temporality of spontaneous thought had different predictive effects as a function of the dimension of OC symptoms (i.e., responsibility, unacceptable thoughts, need for symmetry/completeness).

Conclusions

We found moderate support for our temporality hypothesis, which highlights how the construct of temporality can add to our understanding of OC symptoms. The present study also adds to recent conceptual debates regarding mind wandering. We suggest new cognitive and methodological approaches to enhance the understanding of obsessive–compulsive disorder, opening new avenues for clinical and experimental research.

Symptom variability in depersonalization-derealization disorder: A latent profile analysis

OBJECTIVE

Depersonalization-derealization disorder (DDD) is characterized by diverse symptomatology overlapping with anxiety and dissociative disorders, but the sources of this variability are poorly understood. This study aims to determine whether symptom heterogeneity is attributable to the presence of latent subgroups.

METHOD

We applied latent profile analysis to psychometric measures of anxiety, depersonalization-derealization, and dissociation in 303 DDD patients.

RESULTS

The analysis yielded evidence for five discrete subgroups: three of varying severity levels and two moderate-to-severe classes characterized by differential dissociative symptoms. The five classes reliably differed on several nondissociative symptoms, comorbidities, and factors precipitating their diagnosis but did not significantly differ in other symptoms including anxiety.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest the presence of three distinct DDD subtypes in the upper severity range that are distinguished by differential expression of detachment and compartmentalization symptoms. Further elucidation of these subtypes has potential implications for the etiology, mechanisms, and treatment of DDD.

Exploring patterns of ongoing thought under naturalistic and conventional task-based conditions

Previous research suggests that patterns of ongoing thought are heterogeneous, varying across situations and individuals. The current study investigated the influence of multiple tasks and affective style on ongoing patterns of thought. We used 9 different tasks and measured ongoing thought using multidimensional experience sampling. A Principal Component Analysis of the experience sampling data revealed four patterns of ongoing thought: episodic social cognition, unpleasant intrusive, concentration and self focus. Linear Mixed Modelling was used to conduct a series of exploratory analyses aimed at examining contextual distributions of these thought patterns. We found that different task contexts reliably evoke different thought patterns. Moreover, intrusive and negative thought pattern expression were influenced by individual affective style (depression level). The data establish the influence of task context and intrinsic features on ongoing thought, highlighting the importance of documenting how thought patterns emerge in cognitive tasks with different requirements.

Maladaptive Daydreaming and Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms: A confirmatory and exploratory investigation of shared mechanisms

Maladaptive Daydreaming (MD) is a newly proposed mental disorder characterized by excessive, vivid fantasy activity impairing functioning. There is a high comorbidity of MD with Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Symptoms (OCSS), yet the mechanisms responsible for this relationship are still unclear. The present study set out to explore the relationship between MD and OCSS by: (1) examining dissociation, trauma, sense of control, and mind-wandering as potential mediators; (2) exploring whether MD is more strongly related to obsessions or compulsions; and (3) identifying patterns of specific obsessions and/or compulsions common in an MD sample. A group of 510 participants with self-identified MD completed a battery of online questionnaires. Dissociation and sense of control significantly mediated the MD-OCSS association. MD was moderately related to both obsessions and compulsions but was significantly more strongly related to the former. Frequently endorsed obsessions and compulsions among MD participants included checking and repetition compulsions, intrusive obsessions, and body-related obsessions and compulsions. We conclude that dissociative mechanisms, including dissociative absorption, play a major role in the relationship between MD and OCSS and may lead to consequent checking when transitioning back to reality, altered embodiment, intrusive images, and thoughts, and an impaired sense of mental control. Clinicians working with OCSS should be aware of the possible role of MD in the development or maintenance of symptoms. Future work should develop useful interventions for this type of shared psychopathology.

The path to dissociative experiences: A direct comparison of different etiological models

Severe dissociation is trauma-related, but a range of dissociative experiences are also prevalent in clinical populations that are not necessarily trauma-based (e.g., depression, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorders). These remain poorly understood as the dominant etiological model for dissociation relies on trauma. Importantly, dissociation in such samples predicts poor prognosis and high drop-out rates. We set out to better understand the aetiology of dissociative experiences in a mixed clinical (anxiety and depression) and community sample by exploring between- and within-subjects effects of two domains: psychological distress or negative affectivity (operationalized as anxiety and depression symptoms), and poor sleep quality, including disturbed dreaming. The idea that negative affectivity triggers dissociation (Distress Model) is inspired by the trauma model. The idea that poor sleep and unusual dreaming underlie dissociation (Sleep Model) has been suggested as a competing theory. We examined both models by exploring which domains oscillate alongside dissociative experiences. N = 98 adults, half of them diagnosed with depression and anxiety and half community controls, underwent a structured clinical interview and completed questionnaires monthly for 6 months. Support was found for both models in that each domain had a unique explanatory contribution. Distress evinced consistent effects that could not be explained by sleep or dreaming, both between individuals and across time. Oscillations in dissociation across months, when taking psychological distress into account, were better explained by unusual dreaming than traditional sleep quality measures. These findings cannot be generalized to highly-traumatized samples. A complex, integrated etiological model for dissociative experiences is warranted.

Mediating Role of Rumination and Negative Affect in the Effect of Mind-Wandering on Symptoms in Patients With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

To explore the relationship between negative affect, mind-wandering, rumination and obsessive-compulsive symptoms, 100 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and 100 healthy controls were assessed using the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Mind Wandering Scale and the Ruminative Response Scale. The results show that (i) patients diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder displayed higher obsessive-compulsive symptoms, negative affect, mind-wandering and rumination compared with healthy controls; (ii) negative affect, mind-wandering and rumination were positively correlated with the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms; (iii) mind-wandering predicted the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (both directly and indirectly); (iv) rumination and negative affect mediated the relationship between mind-wandering and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. The results preliminarily reveal the relationship between mind-wandering and psychopathological obsessive-compulsive symptoms, providing a reference for exploring novel psychological treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Different cultures, similar daydream addiction? An examination of the cross-cultural measurement equivalence of the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Maladaptive Daydreaming (MD) is a proposed mental disorder, in which absorption in rich, narrative fantasy becomes addictive and compulsive, resulting in emotional, social, vocational, or academic dysfunction. Most studies on MD were carried out on aggregated international samples, using translated versions of the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS-16). However, it is unknown whether the properties of MD are affected by culture. Thus, we investigated the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the MDS-16.

METHODS

We recruited both individuals self-identified as suffering from MD and non-clinical community participants from four countries: the USA, Italy, Turkey, and the UK (N = 1,081).

RESULTS

Configural invariance was shown, suggesting that the hypothesized four-factor structure of the MDS-16 (including Yearning, Impairment, Kinesthesia, and Music) holds across cultures. Metric invariance was shown for Impairment, Kinesthesia, and Music, but not for Yearning, suggesting that the psychological meaning of the latter factor may be understood differently across cultures. Scalar invariance was not found, as MD levels were higher in the USA and UK, probably due to the over-representation of English-speaking members of MD communities, who volunteered for the study.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that the urge to be absorbed in daydreaming and the fantasies' comforting and addictive properties may have different meanings across countries, but the interference of MD to one's daily life and its obstruction of long-term goals may be the central defining factor of MD.

Who wrote that? Automaticity and reduced sense of agency in individuals prone to dissociative absorption

Dissociative absorption (DA) is a tendency to become completely immersed in a stimulus while neglecting to attend to one's surroundings. Theoretically, DA implies automatic functioning in areas that are outside the focus of attention. This study examined whether high absorbers indeed act more automatically, i.e., with decreased meta-consciousness for, and therefore poor memory of, their own actions, along with reduced sense of agency (SoA). High and low absorbers (N = 63) performed three DA-promoting tasks: choice-reaction time (CRT), Tetris, and free writing. Participants were tested on memory of task details and self-reported their state SoA. As hypothesized, trait DA was correlated with impaired autobiographical memory for self-generated writing. However, DA was not related to episodic memory disruptions in externally-generated content tasks (Tetris, CRT). In most tasks, DA was associated with decreased SoA. Absorbers' specific difficulty in identifying self-generated content suggests that their memory failures stem from reduced accessibility to self-actions and intentions.

Clinical correlates of mind wandering in adults with ADHD

The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence and clinical correlates of ADHD patients with mind wandering. 255 consecutively referred 18- to 55-year-old adults of both sexes with ADHD were assessed. Subjects completed a demographic interview, the Mind Wandering Questionnaire (MWQ), the ADHD Rating Scale (ADHD RS), the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function - Adult Version (BRIEF-A), the Social Responsiveness Scale - Second Edition (SRS-2) Adult Self-Report Form, the Adult Self-Report (ASR), the Barkley Emotional Dysregulation Scale, and the Quality of Life Enjoyment & Satisfaction Questionnaire (Q-LES-Q). We used receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves to identify the optimal cut-off on the MWQ to categorize patients as having high-versus low-level mind wandering and compared demographic and clinical characteristics between the two groups. Participants were categorized by ROC analysis as having high- (N = 127) and low-level (N = 128) mind wandering based on an MWQ total score ≥ or < than 24, respectively. Compared with low-level mind wandering participants, those with high-level mind wandering had significantly more Inattentive and Hyperactive symptoms (all p < 0001), worse executive functioning as measured by the BRIEF-A, more impaired mean (all p ≤ 0.001) and dichotomized scores (t-score ≥65) (all p < 0.005) on subscales and composite ASR scales, more impaired scores on the Barkley Emotional Dysregulation Scale (p < 0.001), and more impaired quality of life scores. High-level mind wandering is prevalent in adults with ADHD and is associated with more severe ADHD symptoms, more executive function deficits, more emotional dysregulation, higher levels of associated psychopathology, and more impaired quality of life.

No Time Like the Present: Thinking About the Past and the Future Is Related to State Dissociation Among Individuals With High Levels of Psychopathological Symptoms

Several short-term pathways have been implicated in relation to dissociative experiences, among them are daily stress, sleepiness, and rumination. In addition, it has been claimed that mechanisms contributing to dissociative experiences may differ, according to specific psychopathological symptoms. Accordingly, this study had two aims. The first was to sample moment-to-moment increases or decreases in current stress, sleepiness, and rumination, in order to assess their temporal relations with state dissociation. Rumination was broken down to its basic two subcomponents: the negative value of the thoughts and thinking about the past (in comparison to present or future), in order to differentiate it from other repetitive thought patterns (e.g., worry). The second goal was to explore whether depression, anxiety, and obsessive–compulsive symptoms may moderate the links between the three mechanisms and specific state dissociation scales [specifically, depersonalization-derealization (DEP-DER) and absorption (ABS)]. Ninety-nine undergraduate students completed trait questionnaires and then answered state items four times a day for 4 days. These experience sampling data were analyzed using multilevel linear modeling (MLM) with Level 1 state measurements and Level 2 demographic and trait variables of the participants. Moments of stress, sleepiness, thinking about the past and negative thoughts were all associated both with state DEP-DER and with state ABS. Dissociation, negative thinking, stress, and sleepiness were positively associated with moments of thinking about the past and the future but inversely associated with moments of thinking about the present. Finally, in accordance with our expectations, the links between DEP-DER and hypothesized mechanisms were mostly moderated by depression and anxiety symptoms, whereas the links between ABS and hypothesized mechanisms were moderated mainly by obsessive–compulsive symptoms. Our findings are in accordance with literature on the efficacy of mindfulness as well as the maladaptive correlates of mind-wandering, as they suggest that dissociative detachment from one’s present occupation is associated with decreased well-being.

Dreams of Teeth Falling Out: An Empirical Investigation of Physiological and Psychological Correlates

Teeth dreams (TD), i.e., dreams of teeth falling out or rotting, are one of the most common and universal typical dream themes, yet their source remains unknown and they have rarely been studied empirically. They are especially enigmatic as they do not readily fall under the rubric of the “continuity hypothesis”, i.e., dreams of current and salient waking-life experiences. The aim of the present study was to explore two possible hypotheses for the origin of TD; specifically, TD as incorporation of dental irritation into dreaming, and TD as a symbolic manifestation of psychological distress. Dream themes, dental irritation, psychological distress, and sleep quality were assessed among 210 undergraduates. TD were related to dental irritation (specifically, tension sensations in the teeth, gums, or jaws upon awakening), whereas other dream types were not. Conversely, TD were unrelated to psychological distress, whereas other dream types were (specifically, dreams of being smothered and dreams of falling). This disparity in the correlates of TD existed despite a small but significant relationship between psychological distress and dental irritation. Albeit preliminary, the present findings support the dental irritation hypothesis and do not support the symbolic hypothesis regarding the origins of TD. Research on TD portrays one path through which the mind may distort somatosensory stimuli and incorporate them into dreams as a vivid and emotionally salient image; these preliminary findings highlight the potential of studying TD in order to broaden our understanding of the cognitive mechanisms governing dream production.