title: The DSM-5 dissociative-PTSD subtype: can levels of depression, anxiety, hostility, and sleeping difficulties differentiate between dissociative-PTSD and PTSD in rape and sexual assault victims?
abstract: The DSM-5 currently includes a dissociative-PTSD subtype within its nomenclature. Several studies have confirmed the dissociative-PTSD subtype in both American Veteran and American civilian samples. Studies have begun to assess specific factors which differentiate between dissociative vs. non-dissociative PTSD. The current study takes a novel approach to investigating the presence of a dissociative-PTSD subtype in its use of European victims of sexual assault and rape (N=351). Utilizing Latent Profile Analyses, we hypothesized that a discrete group of individuals would represent a dissociative-PTSD subtype. We additionally hypothesized that levels of depression, anger, hostility, and sleeping difficulties would differentiate dissociative-PTSD from a similarly severe form of PTSD in the absence of dissociation. Results concluded that there were four discrete groups termed baseline, moderate PTSD, high PTSD, and dissociative-PTSD. The dissociative-PTSD group encompassed 13.1% of the sample and evidenced significantly higher mean scores on measures of depression, anxiety, hostility, and sleeping difficulties. Implications are discussed in relation to both treatment planning and the newly published DSM-5.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Ulster at Coleraine Campus, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, UK. Electronic address: armour.cherie@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Cherie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Armour
authors.affiliation: The National Centre for Psychotraumatology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark. Electronic address: aelklit@health.sdu.dk.
authors.forename: Ask
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Elklit
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Eastern Michigan University, MI, USA. Electronic address: dlauterba@emich.edu.
authors.forename: Dean
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lauterbach
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA. Electronic address: jonelhai@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jon D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Elhai
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000786:Anger; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003718:Denmark; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D011902:Rape / Q000523:psychology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000523:psychology*; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Dissociation; Dissociative PTSD; LPA; Latent Profile Analysis; PTSD; Rape