The “Apparently Normal” Family

Fifty first-degree relatives of 24 Turkish dissociative patients and 50 Turkish non-clinical controls were screened for childhood traumas, dissociative experiences/disorders, and borderline personality disorder/criteria. The Dissociative Experiences Scale, the borderline personality disorder section of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Personality Disorders, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, and a structured history form were admistered to all participants. Family members had dissociative experiences, borderline personality disorder criteria (subtreshold scores included), and childhood traumas more frequently than the normal control group. Family members with a Dissociative Experiences Scale score 25 and above (N = 3) were evaluated using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Dissociative Disorders. None of the family members were diagnosed as having a dissociative disorder and/or borderline personality disorder on a clinical level. Our findings suggest that these apparently normal families of dissociative patients need to be evaluated for trauma-related family dynamics overall and for hidden subclinical psychopathology.