title: The symptom structure of posttraumatic stress disorder in the National Comorbidity Replication Survey.
abstract: Previous research has provided mixed findings for the validity of various three- and four-factor models of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology. However, much of this research has been restricted to clinical samples rather than nationally representative community-based samples. The current study employed confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate the validity of three competing models of PTSD symptom structure using the DSM-IV-based National Comorbidity Replication Survey (part II of the NCS-R: N=5692). Individuals with a lifetime diagnosis of PTSD (N=588) were selected and symptom assessment was based on the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Strong support was found for both the DSM-IV three-factor model and a four-factor model of PTSD symptoms by King et al. [King, D. W., Leskin, G. A., King, L. A., & Weathers, F. W. (1998). Confirmatory factor analysis of the clinician-administered PTSD scale: evidence for the dimensionality of posttraumatic stress disorder. Psychological Assessment,10, 90-96], a variation of the DSM-IV model in which avoidance and numbing are viewed as separate factors. There was some evidence, however, that the King et al. [King, D. W., Leskin, G. A., King, L. A., & Weathers, F. W. (1998). Confirmatory factor analysis of the clinician-administered PTSD scale: evidence for the dimensionality of posttraumatic stress disorder. Psychological Assessment,10, 90-96] model demonstrated a significantly superior fit over the DSM-IV three-factor model. Because this study provided support for both the DSM-IV three-factor model and the King et al., four-factor model of PTSD symptoms, further research is still necessary to provide more definitive conclusions in this area.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Manitoba, Canada. coxbj@cc.umanitoba.ca
authors.forename: Brian J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: Natalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mota
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Clara
authors.forename: Gordon J G
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Asmundson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult