Thanos Karatzias1, Mark Shevlin2, Claire Fyvie3, Philip Hyland4, Erifili Efthymiadou3, Danielle Wilson3, Neil Roberts5, Jonathan I Bisson6, Chris R Brewin7, Marylene Cloitre8. 1. Edinburgh Napier University, School of Health & Social Care,Edinburgh, UK; NHS Lothian, Rivers Centre for Traumatic Stress, Edinburgh, UK. Electronic address: Email.t.karatzias@napier.ac.uk. 2. Ulster University, School of Psychology, Derry, UK. 3. NHS Lothian, Rivers Centre for Traumatic Stress, Edinburgh, UK. 4. National College of Ireland, School of Business, Dublin, Ireland. 5. Psychology and Counselling Directorate, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Cardiff, UK. 6. Cardiff University, School of Medicine, Cardiff, UK. 7. University College London, Clinical, Education & Health Psychology, London, UK. 8. New York University, School of Medicine, USA; National Center for PTSD, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The WHO International Classification of Diseases, 11th version (ICD-11), has proposed two related diagnoses following exposure to traumatic events; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex PTSD (CPTSD). We set out to explore whether the newly developed ICD-11 Trauma Questionnaire (ICD-TQ) can distinguish between classes of individuals according to the PTSD and CPTSD symptom profiles as per ICD-11 proposals based on latent class analysis. We also hypothesized that the CPTSD class would report more frequent and a greater number of different types of childhood trauma as well as higher levels of functional impairment. Methods Participants in this study were a sample of individuals who were referred for psychological therapy to a National Health Service (NHS) trauma centre in Scotland (N=193). Participants completed the ICD-TQ as well as measures of life events and functioning. RESULTS: Overall, results indicate that using the newly developed ICD-TQ, two subgroups of treatment-seeking individuals could be empirically distinguished based on different patterns of symptom endorsement; a small group high in PTSD symptoms only and a larger group high in CPTSD symptoms. In addition, CPTSD was more strongly associated with more frequent and a greater accumulation of different types of childhood traumatic experiences and poorer functional impairment. LIMITATIONS: Sample predominantly consisted of people who had experienced childhood psychological trauma or been multiply traumatised in childhood and adulthood. CONCLUSIONS: CPTSD is highly prevalent in treatment seeking populations who have been multiply traumatised in childhood and adulthood and appropriate interventions should now be developed to aid recovery from this debilitating condition.
BACKGROUND: The WHO International Classification of Diseases, 11th version (ICD-11), has proposed two related diagnoses following exposure to traumatic events; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex PTSD (CPTSD). We set out to explore whether the newly developed ICD-11 Trauma Questionnaire (ICD-TQ) can distinguish between classes of individuals according to the PTSD and CPTSD symptom profiles as per ICD-11 proposals based on latent class analysis. We also hypothesized that the CPTSD class would report more frequent and a greater number of different types of childhood trauma as well as higher levels of functional impairment. Methods Participants in this study were a sample of individuals who were referred for psychological therapy to a National Health Service (NHS) trauma centre in Scotland (N=193). Participants completed the ICD-TQ as well as measures of life events and functioning. RESULTS: Overall, results indicate that using the newly developed ICD-TQ, two subgroups of treatment-seeking individuals could be empirically distinguished based on different patterns of symptom endorsement; a small group high in PTSD symptoms only and a larger group high in CPTSD symptoms. In addition, CPTSD was more strongly associated with more frequent and a greater accumulation of different types of childhood traumatic experiences and poorer functional impairment. LIMITATIONS: Sample predominantly consisted of people who had experienced childhood psychological trauma or been multiply traumatised in childhood and adulthood. CONCLUSIONS: CPTSD is highly prevalent in treatment seeking populations who have been multiply traumatised in childhood and adulthood and appropriate interventions should now be developed to aid recovery from this debilitating condition.
Authors: Lamya'a M Dawud; Esteban C Loetz; Brian Lloyd; Rachel Beam; Simon Tran; Kim Cowie; Kim Browne; Tassawwar Khan; Richard Montoya; Benjamin N Greenwood; Sondra T Bland Journal: Dev Psychobiol Date: 2020-06-10 Impact factor: 3.038