Measuring ICD-11 dissociative identity disorder: cross-cultural validation of the international dissociative identity disorder questionnaire

Abstract

Recently, the ICD-11 has updated the diagnostic requirements for dissociative identity disorder (DID) and introduced partial DID as a new diagnosis. This study validated the first measure of DID and partial DID as defined in ICD-11. Two convenience samples of mental health service users (118 Chinese speakers and 115 English speakers) completed the International Dissociative Identity Disorder Questionnaire (IDIDQ), the Dissociative Experiences Scale-Taxon (DES-T), and the Multiscale Dissociation Inventory (MDI) in their respective language. The IDIDQ had good to excellent internal consistency (alpha =.861 to.892) and test-retest reliability (ICC =.682 to.854, p < .001) in both samples. The 3-factor structure of DID (i.e., amnesia, dissociative identities, and switching), as proposed in ICD-11, was supported by our cross-cultural data, with configural, metric and scalar invariance established across the Chinese- and English-speaking samples. The IDIDQ reliably detected probable ICD-11 DID and partial DID (kappa =.517 to.781, p < .001) during a one-week test-retest period. The IDIDQ subscales were strongly correlated with the respective MDI subscales and the DES-T scores. The IDIDQ results had moderate to substantial agreement with the MDI Identity Dissociation subscale and the DES-T in both samples (kappa =.514 to.741, p < .001). This study provides first evidence showing the ICD-11 DID and partial DID can be reliably and validly measured using the IDIDQ.