Attention to the body in nonclinical somatoform dissociation depends on emotional state.

OBJECTIVE: Unexplained neurological symptoms ("somatoform dissociation") are common in health care settings and associated with disproportionately high levels of distress, disability, and resource utilization. Theory suggests that somatoform dissociation is associated with disturbed atten...

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Main Authors: Brown, R, Danquah, A, Miles, E, Holmes, E, Poliakoff, E
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: 2010
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author Brown, R
Danquah, A
Miles, E
Holmes, E
Poliakoff, E
author_facet Brown, R
Danquah, A
Miles, E
Holmes, E
Poliakoff, E
author_sort Brown, R
collection OXFORD
description OBJECTIVE: Unexplained neurological symptoms ("somatoform dissociation") are common in health care settings and associated with disproportionately high levels of distress, disability, and resource utilization. Theory suggests that somatoform dissociation is associated with disturbed attentional processing, but there is a paucity of research in this area and the available evidence is contradictory. METHODS: We compared undergraduate participants (n=124) with high and low scores on the Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire (SDQ-20) on a tactile cueing paradigm measuring the time course of attention to touch, following either a neutral film or a film designed to simulate the emotional effects of trauma exposure. RESULTS: Following the neutral film, high SDQ-20 participants exhibited delayed disengagement from tactile cue stimuli compared to the low SDQ-20 group. Following the "trauma" film, however, the high SDQ-20 group showed attentional effects suggesting avoidance of the tactile stimuli in this condition. Early attention to tactile cues following the trauma film predicted film-related intrusive thoughts after the experiment. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that both body vigilance and body avoidance may be involved in the expression of somatoform dissociation.
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spelling oxford-uuid:004c9e60-6bc1-4259-b3b6-01ade4c6df0e2022-03-26T08:28:43ZAttention to the body in nonclinical somatoform dissociation depends on emotional state.Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:004c9e60-6bc1-4259-b3b6-01ade4c6df0eEnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2010Brown, RDanquah, AMiles, EHolmes, EPoliakoff, E OBJECTIVE: Unexplained neurological symptoms ("somatoform dissociation") are common in health care settings and associated with disproportionately high levels of distress, disability, and resource utilization. Theory suggests that somatoform dissociation is associated with disturbed attentional processing, but there is a paucity of research in this area and the available evidence is contradictory. METHODS: We compared undergraduate participants (n=124) with high and low scores on the Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire (SDQ-20) on a tactile cueing paradigm measuring the time course of attention to touch, following either a neutral film or a film designed to simulate the emotional effects of trauma exposure. RESULTS: Following the neutral film, high SDQ-20 participants exhibited delayed disengagement from tactile cue stimuli compared to the low SDQ-20 group. Following the "trauma" film, however, the high SDQ-20 group showed attentional effects suggesting avoidance of the tactile stimuli in this condition. Early attention to tactile cues following the trauma film predicted film-related intrusive thoughts after the experiment. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that both body vigilance and body avoidance may be involved in the expression of somatoform dissociation.
spellingShingle Brown, R
Danquah, A
Miles, E
Holmes, E
Poliakoff, E
Attention to the body in nonclinical somatoform dissociation depends on emotional state.
title Attention to the body in nonclinical somatoform dissociation depends on emotional state.
title_full Attention to the body in nonclinical somatoform dissociation depends on emotional state.
title_fullStr Attention to the body in nonclinical somatoform dissociation depends on emotional state.
title_full_unstemmed Attention to the body in nonclinical somatoform dissociation depends on emotional state.
title_short Attention to the body in nonclinical somatoform dissociation depends on emotional state.
title_sort attention to the body in nonclinical somatoform dissociation depends on emotional state
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AT poliakoffe attentiontothebodyinnonclinicalsomatoformdissociationdependsonemotionalstate