title: Specific trauma subtypes improve the predictive validity of the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire in Iraqi refugees.
abstract: Trauma exposure contributes to poor mental health among refugees, and exposure often is measured using a cumulative index of items from the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ). Few studies, however, have asked whether trauma subtypes derived from the HTQ could be superior to this cumulative index in predicting mental health outcomes. A community sample of recently arrived Iraqi refugees (N = 298) completed the HTQ and measures of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms. Principal components analysis of HTQ items revealed a 5-component subtype model of trauma that accounted for more item variance than a 1-component solution. These trauma subtypes also accounted for more variance in PTSD and depression symptoms (12 and 10%, respectively) than did the cumulative trauma index (7 and 3%, respectively). Trauma subtypes provided more information than cumulative trauma in the prediction of negative mental health outcomes. Therefore, use of these subtypes may enhance the utility of the HTQ when assessing at-risk populations.
authors.affiliation: Division of Occupational and Environmental Health, Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 3939 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA.
authors.forename: Bengt B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Arnetz
authors.forename: Carissa L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Broadbridge
authors.forename: Hikmet
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jamil
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Lumley
authors.forename: Nnamdi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pole
authors.forename: Evone
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Barkho
authors.forename: Monty
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fakhouri
authors.forename: Yousif Rofa
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Talia
authors.forename: Judith E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Arnetz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007493:Iraq / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012036:Refugees / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult