Complex PTSD symptoms mediate the association between childhood trauma and physical health problems

Ho, Grace W.K.; Karatzias, Thanos; Valli�res, Fr�d�rique; Bondjers, Kristina; Shevlin, Mark; Cloitre, Maryl�ne; Ben-Ezra, Menachem; Bisson, Jonathan I.; Roberts, Neil P.; Astill Wright, Laurence; Hyland, Philip

Abstract

The ICD-11 reconceptualized Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a narrowly defined fear-based disorder, and introduced Complex PTSD (CPTSD) as a new diagnosis comprised of PTSD symptoms and symptoms of ‘Disturbances in Self-Organization’ (DSO) that are more reflective of general dysphoria. Previous research suggests that PTSD symptoms mediate the association between childhood trauma and physical health problems, including cardiovascular disease. No study has yet assessed how posttraumatic stress symptoms, as outlined in the ICD-11, influence the association between childhood trauma and somatic problems in adulthood.

Objective
This cross-sectional descriptive study examined whether PTSD and DSO symptoms mediated the associations between childhood physical and sexual abuse and childhood emotional abuse and neglect and somatic problems and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) load in adulthood.

Methods
General adult population samples from Ireland (N = 1020) and the United Kingdom (N = 1051) completed self-report questionnaires online.

Results
Structural equation modelling results indicated that PTSD and DSO symptoms fully mediated the association between both forms of childhood trauma and somatic problems, and that PTSD symptoms but not DSO symptoms fully mediated the association between childhood trauma and CVD load.

Conclusion
Psychological interventions that effectively treat CPTSD symptoms may have the added benefit of reducing risk of physical health problems.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 11, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Jan 12, 2021
• Publication Date: 2021-03
• Deposit Date: Jan 11, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 13, 2022
• Print ISSN: 0022-3999
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 142
• Article Number: 110358
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2021.110358
• Keywords: PTSD, Complex PTSD, Childhood trauma, Somatic problems, Cardiovascular disease
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2714335