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Development and validation of the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS).
Journal article

Development and validation of the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS).

  • Somer E School of Social Work, University of Haifa, Israel. Electronic address: somer@research.haifa.ac.il.
  • Lehrfeld J Fordham University, New York, NY, USA.
  • Bigelsen J Anti-Human Trafficking Initiatives, Covenant House International, New York, NY, USA.
  • Jopp DS University of Lausanne, Switzerland. Electronic address: Daniela.jopp@unil.ch.
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  • 2015-12-29
Published in:
  • Consciousness and cognition. - 2016
Fantasy proneness
Maladaptive daydreaming
Mind-wandering
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity
Dissociative Disorders
Factor Analysis, Statistical
Fantasy
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Psychotic Disorders
Self Report
Surveys and Questionnaires
Young Adult
English This study describes the development of the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS), a 14-item self-report instrument designed to gauge abnormal fantasizing. Our sample consisted of 447 English-speaking individuals from 45 different countries. A 3-correlated-factors model best presented the underlying dimensions Yearning, Kinesthesia and Impairment, capturing related rewarding experiences as well as psychological impairment of maladaptive daydreaming. MDS scores were associated with obsessive-compulsive behavior and thoughts, dissociative absorption, attention deficit, and high sense of presence during daydreaming, but less with psychotic symptoms. The MDS and its subscale demonstrated good validity, sound internal consistency and temporal stability and discriminated well between self-identified individuals with and without maladaptive daydreaming. Considering the instrument's high sensitivity and specificity levels, it seems an excellent measure for future investigation of MD that will, hopefully, shed light on the etiology and psycho-biological mechanisms involved in this mental condition, as well as on the development of effective MD treatment methods.
Language
  • English
Open access status
closed
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://folia.unifr.ch/global/documents/78651
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