Citation

Fung HW, Yuan GF, Liu C, Lin ESS, Lam SKK, Wong JYH. Psychiatry Res. 2024; 339: e116076.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.psychres.2024.116076

PMID

38996630

Abstract

The extent to which complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) can be conceptualized as a dissociative disorder remains an ongoing debate. This study investigated the prevalence and correlates of dissociative symptoms in people with C-PTSD. We analyzed baseline data from an international randomized controlled trial. A total of 165 intervention seekers who met the ICD-11 criteria for C-PTSD completed standardized self-report measures of trauma, C-PTSD symptoms, dissociative symptoms, depressive symptoms, and work and social impairments. In this sample, only 42.3 % of participants exhibited clinically significant dissociative symptoms. Dissociative symptoms had a unique association with depressive symptoms and work and social impairments in our participants with C-PTSD, even after controlling for trauma exposure and C-PTSD symptoms. The data does not support the theory that C-PTSD is a dissociative disorder. However, the findings highlight the importance of recognizing dissociation in people with C-PTSD.

Language: en

Keywords

Trauma; Comorbidity; Dissociation; Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (Complex PTSD); Functional impairments