Traditionality, Spirituality and Somatoform Dissociation Symptoms in Chinese Buddhists

To evaluate the relationship between spiritual experience and hysterical experiences in Buddhist participants in ethnic groups in China, this cross-sectional study recruited 39 participants aged 16–57 years old, and self-administered surveys were administered in two villages, one city and one town by four research assistants in the Inner Mongolia and Qinhai areas. Binary logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the factors associated with somatoform dissociation symptoms. Surveys were completed by 639 participants (mean age 31 years; 54.6% females) in 2017. Binary regression models showed that diverging from tradition and having a college education or above were associated with suffering from somatoform dissociation symptoms. By contrast, participants with higher experiences and older people were less likely to experience somatoform dissociation symptoms. Our current research highlights the contribution of spiritual experiences and traditional values to reducing somatization dissociation symptoms, and the findings could help to promote a new relationship between psychiatry and spiritual experiences that will benefit both mental health professionals and those who seek their assistance.