Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

The Effect of Depersonalization and Derealization Symptoms on Olfaction and Olfactory Hedonics

Gibbs, Rhiannon Ashley
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2419-974X
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1524506888938436

Abstract Details

2018, Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, Psychology, Clinical.
Depersonalization and derealization symptoms affect sensation, perception, and emotion, producing subjective experiences of unreality and affective numbing (Simeon, 2004). Abnormalities in the amygdala, which is associated with emotional reactions such as anxiety and fear (LeDoux, 1993), have been observed in depersonalization and derealization and other psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety and depression (Sierra & Berrios, 1998). Olfactory deficits have been posited as a potential marker for psychiatric disorders, including depression (Atanasova, 2008), which may be related to the close neural connections between the olfaction system and the amygdala (Stockhorst & Pietrowsky, 2004). However, no previous studies have examined the relationship between depersonalization/derealization and olfactory functioning. Thus, this study investigated whether depersonalization and derealization symptom severity was correlated with odor identification ability, odor detection threshold, and hedonic ratings of odors in an undergraduate sample (N = 92). It was hypothesized that: 1) odor identification ability would be negatively correlated with reported depersonalization and derealization symptoms; 2) odor detection threshold would be positively correlated with depersonalization and derealization symptoms; and 3) both pleasantness and unpleasantness ratings of odors would be negatively correlated with depersonalization and derealization symptoms. Participants (N = 92) were administered two olfaction testing batteries, and completed self-report measures of depersonalization, depression, and anxiety. Results did not support the main hypotheses. Exploratory analyses revealed a significant sex by depersonalization interaction for odor identification ability, indicating that females with higher levels of depersonalization were less able to correctly identify odorants. Future research in clinical samples is needed to confirm this interaction.
Julie Walsh-Messinger, Ph.D. (Advisor)
Roger Reeb, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Jackson Goodnight, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
56 p.
Clinical Psychology
depersonalization; derealization; depersonalization-derealization disorder; dissociation; olfaction; olfactory hedonics

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Gibbs, R. A. (2018). The Effect of Depersonalization and Derealization Symptoms on Olfaction and Olfactory Hedonics [Master's thesis, University of Dayton]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1524506888938436

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Gibbs, Rhiannon. The Effect of Depersonalization and Derealization Symptoms on Olfaction and Olfactory Hedonics. 2018. University of Dayton, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1524506888938436.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Gibbs, Rhiannon. "The Effect of Depersonalization and Derealization Symptoms on Olfaction and Olfactory Hedonics." Master's thesis, University of Dayton, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1524506888938436

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

dayton1524506888938436
3,362
© 2018, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Dayton and OhioLINK.