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    Trauma & stress · 30 items · 0.0–10.0 · Armstrong JG, Putnam FW, Carlson EB, Libero DZ, Smith SR. Development and validation of a measure of adolescent dissociation: the Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale. J Nerv Ment Dis. 1997;185(8):491-497.

    Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale: Scoring, Cutoffs & Interpretation

    30-item self-report dissociation screen for adolescents (11-18), scored 0-10 as a mean. Scoring, cutoffs and licensing explained; the questionnaire is not shown pending confirmation of reproduction rights.

    Usage conditions apply. The A-DES was published by Armstrong, Putnam, Carlson and colleagues in 1997 and is widely reproduced in clinical and research settings, but unlike the adult DES-II its authors have not published a statement placing it in the public domain, and we have not yet confirmed permission to reproduce the item wording on a commercial site. Until that is confirmed the questionnaire is not shown here. Adults (18+) can complete the DES-II, which is free.

    02 - The clinician's brief

    Last reviewed: · Reviewed by Lotte Kjær Svalberg

    01 - Scoring & cutoffs

    How scoring works.

    The A-DES has 30 items, each rated on an 11-point scale from 0 (never) to 10 (always), with instructions to answer only for times when the young person has not been using alcohol or drugs. The total score is the mean of the 30 item ratings, so it also runs from 0 to 10; there is no summing to a raw total as on many other scales. Four content areas are represented - dissociative amnesia, absorption and imaginative involvement, passive influence, and depersonalisation and derealisation - although factor analyses in community samples usually find a single general factor.

    In the original validation, adolescents with dissociative disorders averaged 4.8, general psychiatric patients 2.2 and non-clinical adolescents about 2.2 to 2.7 in later UK, Dutch and Turkish samples. A mean score of 3.7 or above was proposed as suggestive of clinically significant dissociation, and a threshold of 4.0 has also been used. Scores are a screen for further assessment, not a diagnosis, and adolescents with psychotic disorders can score almost as high as those with dissociative disorders.

    Score
    Severity
    Interpretation
    0.0–2.9
    Within the non-clinical range
    Typical of community adolescents; later UK, Dutch and Turkish samples average about 2.2-2.7.
    3.0–3.6
    Elevated - warrants clinical enquiry
    Above non-clinical levels but below the proposed screening threshold; interpret in clinical context.
    3.7–3.9
    At the proposed threshold for significant dissociation
    A mean score of 3.7 or above was proposed as suggestive of clinically significant dissociation.
    4.0–10.0
    Clinically significant range
    Typical of adolescents with dissociative disorders, who averaged 4.8 in the original validation study.

    02 - Licensing, explained

    How licensing works.

    The A-DES was published by Armstrong, Putnam, Carlson and colleagues in 1997 and is widely reproduced in clinical and research settings, but unlike the adult DES-II its authors have not published a statement placing it in the public domain, and we have not yet confirmed permission to reproduce the item wording on a commercial site. Until that is confirmed the questionnaire is not shown here. Adults (18+) can complete the DES-II, which is free.

    References

    Source literature.

    1. [1]Armstrong JG, Putnam FW, Carlson EB, Libero DZ, Smith SR Development and validation of a measure of adolescent dissociation: the Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale. J Nerv Ment Dis. 1997;185(8):491-497. (1997) ↩
    2. [2]Farrington A, Waller G, Smerden J, Faupel AW The Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale: psychometric properties and difference in scores across age groups. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2001;189(10):722-727. (2001) ↩
    3. [3]Keck Seeley SM, Perosa SL, Perosa LM A validation study of the Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale. Child Abuse Negl. 2004;28(7):755-769. (2004) ↩
    4. [4]Zoroglu SS, Sar V, Tuzun U, Tutkun H, Savas HA Reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2002;56(5):551-556. (2002) ↩
    5. [5]Lindfors P, et al. Psychometric properties of the Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale in a large Finnish adolescent sample. J Trauma Dissociation. 2022;23(4):464-479. (2022) ↩

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