title: Posttraumatic stress disorder's dysphoria dimension and relations with generalized anxiety disorder symptoms.
abstract: The present study investigated symptom relations between two highly comorbid disorders--posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)--by exploring their underlying dimensions. Based on theory and prior empirical research it was expected that the dysphoria factor of PTSD would be more highly related to GAD. As part of a longitudinal project of mental health among Ohio National Guard Soldiers, 1266 subjects were administered the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale (GAD-7). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were conducted to examine two models of PTSD and to determine which PTSD factors were more related to the GAD factor. The results indicate that the GAD factor was significantly more highly correlated with PTSD's dysphoria factor than with all other PTSD factors, including PTSD's reexperiencing factor, avoidance factor, and hyperarousal factor. Results indicate GAD was not significantly more highly correlated with numbing than most other factors of PTSD. The results are consistent with prior research. Implications of the results are discussed in regards to PTSD in DSM-5, comorbidity and diagnostic specificity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Tory A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Durham
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA. Electronic address: http://www.jon-elhai.com.
authors.forename: Jon D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Elhai
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Fine
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Marijo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tamburrino
authors.affiliation: Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA; University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Edwin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shirley
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA; University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Philip K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Service, VA Ann Arbor Health System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Israel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Liberzon
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Sandro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Galea
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Calabrese
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009820:Ohio / Q000453:epidemiology; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Comorbidity; Confirmatory factor analysis; Dysphoria; Generalized anxiety disorder; Posttraumatic stress disorder