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Ho GWK, Vang ML, Martsenkovskyi D, Karatzias T, Ben-Ezra M, McElroy E, Redican E, Cloitre M, Lorberg B, Hyland P, Shevlin M. Investigating the latent structure of the International Trauma Questionnaire to assess ICD-11 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD in an adult civilian sample during the Ukraine war. J Trauma Stress 2023; 36:820-829. [PMID: 37339126 DOI: 10.1002/jts.22943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023]
Abstract
The symptom structure of ICD-11 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (CPTSD) and the validity of the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) are yet to be tested among civilians in an active war zone. The present investigation examined the factor structure of the ITQ, the internal consistency of observed scores, and their associations with demographic characteristics and war-related experiences using a nationwide sample of 2,004 adults from the general population of Ukraine approximately 6 months after the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022. Overall, rates of endorsement across all symptom clusters were high. The mean total number of war-related stressors reported was 9.07 (SD = 4.35, range: 1-26). Internal reliability was good for all six ITQ subscales, Cronbach's αs = .73-.88, and the correlated six-factor model was found to provide the best representation of the latent structure of the ITQ in the present sample based on fit indices. There was evidence of a dose-response relationship, with increasing scores on all symptom clusters associated with higher total reported war-related stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace W K Ho
- School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
| | - Maria Louison Vang
- Centre for Psychotraumatology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Dmytro Martsenkovskyi
- Department of Psychiatry and Narcology, Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine
- SI Institute of Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatric Examination and Drug Monitoring of Ministry of Health of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Thanos Karatzias
- School of Health & Social Care, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | | | - Eoin McElroy
- School of Psychology, Ulster University, Derry, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Enya Redican
- School of Psychology, Ulster University, Derry, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Marylene Cloitre
- National Center for PTSD, Dissemination and Training Division, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, California, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Boris Lorberg
- Department of Psychiatry, UMass Chan Medical School, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Philip Hyland
- Department of Psychology, Maynooth University, Kildare, Ireland
| | - Mark Shevlin
- School of Psychology, Ulster University, Derry, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
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“In the Middle, between Anxiety Victims and PTSD, There Are People That Have Some Kind of a Disorder That Has No Name Yet” Insights about the Traumatic Stress Consequences of Exposure to Ongoing Threat. TRAUMA CARE 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/traumacare2020015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Current diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) do not include symptoms resulting from exposure to ongoing traumatic stress. Thus, existing assessment tools do not fully capture stress symptoms associated with exposure to threats that extend over months or years. We aimed to enumerate the symptoms associated with ongoing exposure to stress and to evaluate the need for a new comprehensive tool designed to assess traumatic stress in these situations. Study methods included focus group sessions, interviews, and a content expert’s workshop. Thematic analysis yielded three main themes: 1. PTSD in its current definition does not capture the whole “traumatic picture” observed in ongoing exposure to threat, 2. Some DSM-5 criteria are not applicable in ongoing exposure to threat, 3. The need for a new tool or modifications of commonly used assessment tools. This study supports the notion that PTSD assessment practices are lacking when assessing traumatic stress in ongoing exposure to threat and highlights the need for a new tool specifically designed for these situations.
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Lapid Pickman L, Gelkopf M, Greene T. Do positive and negative emotional reactions during war predict subsequent symptomatology? A prospective experience sampling study. J Anxiety Disord 2021; 84:102492. [PMID: 34749217 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2021.102492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
While peritraumatic negative emotions have been associated with subsequent posttraumatic stress and depression, the predictive role of real-time emotional reactions to specific stressors during prolonged stress exposure is still unclear, particularly that of positive emotions. The current study uses experience sampling methodology to examine individual general levels of negative and positive emotions, and emotional reactivity to specific stressors during war, as prospective predictors of posttraumatic stress and depression. Ninety-six civilians exposed to rocket fire during the 2014 Israel-Gaza war reported exposure to rocket warning sirens and levels of ten negative and six positive emotions twice a day for 30 days. Symptoms of posttraumatic stress and depression were then assessed two months post-war. Participants reported higher negative emotions and lower positive emotions during assessment windows with sirens. Over time, negative emotions decreased and positive emotions increased. Higher levels of overall negative emotions predicted posttraumatic stress symptoms and depression symptoms two months later. Levels of positive emotions, and negative and positive emotional reactivity to sirens, were not associated with subsequent symptomatology. Our results indicate the stronger role of overall negative emotions as predictors of symptomatology compared with momentary emotional reactivity, and the stronger predictive role of negative compared with positive emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liron Lapid Pickman
- Department of Community Mental Health, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel; NATAL - Israel Trauma and Resiliency Center, Tel Aviv, Israel.
| | - Marc Gelkopf
- Department of Community Mental Health, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel; NATAL - Israel Trauma and Resiliency Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Talya Greene
- Department of Community Mental Health, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel; Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
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