Cross-validation of the ego dissolution scale: implications for studying psychedelics.

Abstract

<h4>Introduction</h4>Ego dissolution, variously called Ego-Loss, self-loss, and ego disintegration, is a hallmark of psychedelic drug use. We cross-validated the 10-item Ego Dissolution Scale, which we developed to assess ego dissolution in everyday life, and we included comparator variables that expanded our original assessment of construct validity.<h4>Methods</h4>Undergraduate college student volunteers (<i>N</i> = 527) completed the measures online.<h4>Results</h4>We replicated the original two factor structure (i.e., subfactors: Ego-Loss and Unity/connectedness with others, the world, universe), and we determined that the total score (Cronbach's α = 0.79) and subfactors (Ego-Loss = 78; Unity = 0.83) possessed adequate-to-good reliability and strong convergent validity (e.g., mindfulness, hallucination-predisposition, sleep variables, personality variables, positive/negative affect transliminality, dissociation/depersonalization), while neuroticism, social desirability did not correlate highly with ego dissolution. We identified distinct patterns of relations of measures associated with the Ego-Loss vs. Unity subfactors.<h4>Discussion</h4>We discuss the implications of the use of the EDS for studying everyday aspects of ego dissolution, the long-term effects of psychedelic use, and the value of using the scale in conjunction with measures of the acute effects of psychedelics.

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