Xing Cao1,2, Li Wang1,2, Chengqi Cao1,2, Ruojiao Fang1,2, Chen Chen1,2, Brain J Hall3,4, Jon D Elhai5,6. 1. Laboratory for Traumatic Stress Studies, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. 2. Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. 3. Global and Community Mental Health Research Group, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, China. 4. Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA. 5. Department of Psychology, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA. 6. Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Sex differences in youth's posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology have not been well studied. METHODS: Based on a recently burgeoning theory of psychopathology networks, this study conducted sex comparisons of global and local connectivity of PTSD symptoms in a sample of 868 disaster-exposed adolescents (57.0% girls; a mean age of 13.4 ± 0.8 years) with significant PTSD symptomatology evaluated by the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index for DSM-IV. RESULTS: The results revealed that global connectivity was stronger in girls' network than in boys', and individual symptoms' connectivity and its rankings differed by sex. Intrusive recollections, flashbacks, avoiding activities/people, and detachment were the most strongly connected symptoms in girls, whereas flashbacks, physiological cue reactivity, diminished interest, and foreshortened future were the most strongly connected symptoms in boys. Several symptoms were identified as featuring large connectivity differences across sex. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide novel insights into sex differential risk and features of youth's PTSD symptomatology. Sex differences reflected in the co-occurrence of PTSD symptoms may merit more consideration in research and clinical practice.
BACKGROUND: Sex differences in youth's posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology have not been well studied. METHODS: Based on a recently burgeoning theory of psychopathology networks, this study conducted sex comparisons of global and local connectivity of PTSD symptoms in a sample of 868 disaster-exposed adolescents (57.0% girls; a mean age of 13.4 ± 0.8 years) with significant PTSD symptomatology evaluated by the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index for DSM-IV. RESULTS: The results revealed that global connectivity was stronger in girls' network than in boys', and individual symptoms' connectivity and its rankings differed by sex. Intrusive recollections, flashbacks, avoiding activities/people, and detachment were the most strongly connected symptoms in girls, whereas flashbacks, physiological cue reactivity, diminished interest, and foreshortened future were the most strongly connected symptoms in boys. Several symptoms were identified as featuring large connectivity differences across sex. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide novel insights into sex differential risk and features of youth's PTSD symptomatology. Sex differences reflected in the co-occurrence of PTSD symptoms may merit more consideration in research and clinical practice.
Authors: Anke de Haan; Markus A Landolt; Eiko I Fried; Kristian Kleinke; Eva Alisic; Richard Bryant; Karen Salmon; Sue-Huei Chen; Shu-Tsen Liu; Tim Dalgleish; Anna McKinnon; Alice Alberici; Jade Claxton; Julia Diehle; Ramón Lindauer; Carlijn de Roos; Sarah L Halligan; Rachel Hiller; Christian H Kristensen; Beatriz O M Lobo; Nicole M Volkmann; Meghan Marsac; Lamia Barakat; Nancy Kassam-Adams; Reginald D V Nixon; Susan Hogan; Raija-Leena Punamäki; Esa Palosaari; Elizabeth Schilpzand; Rowena Conroy; Patrick Smith; William Yule; Richard Meiser-Stedman Journal: J Child Psychol Psychiatry Date: 2019-11-07 Impact factor: 8.982
Authors: Gen Li; Li Wang; Chengqi Cao; Ruojiao Fang; Xing Cao; Chen Chen; Jon D Elhai; Brian J Hall Journal: Int J Clin Health Psychol Date: 2019-07-31
Authors: Fan Yang; Mingqi Fu; Ning Huang; Farooq Ahmed; Muhammad Shahid; Bo Zhang; Jing Guo; Paul Lodder Journal: Eur J Psychotraumatol Date: 2021-12-06
Authors: Gen Li; Li Wang; Chengqi Cao; Ruojiao Fang; Yajie Bi; Ping Liu; Shu Luo; Brian J Hall; Jon D Elhai Journal: Eur J Psychotraumatol Date: 2020-06-08