ICD-11 PTSD and complex PTSD in Lithuanian university students: Prevalence and associations with trauma exposure

Truskauskaite, Inga; Dumarkaite, Austeja; Petrauskaite, Gabija; Andersson, Gerhard; Brailovskaia, Julia; Karatzias, Thanos; Margraf, Jürgen; Kazlauskas, Evaldas

Abstract

Objective: Young adults are at high risk for developing mental disorders. Moreover, trauma exposure and trauma-related disorders in emerging adulthood are highly prevalent. The study aimed to explore the prevalence of traumatic experiences, probable ICD-11 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), probable complex PTSD (CPTSD), and links between trauma exposure and traumatic stress reactions among first-year university students in Lithuania. Method: In total, 1,626 university students from Lithuania, 68.2% female, mean age 19.09 (SD = 1.05) years, were recruited for the study. Probable ICD-11 PTSDs were measured using the self-report International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ). Results: A majority (77.2%) of young adults had been exposed to traumatic experiences. The prevalence of probable ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD in the total sample was 4.6% and 3.4%, respectively. Both PTSD and CPTSD were associated with cumulative lifetime trauma experiences. CPTSD was related to sexual trauma, whereas PTSD was linked to single traumatic incidents, like a physical assault. Both probable PTSD and probable CPTSD were associated with physical and sexual abuse in childhood. Conclusion: The findings of our study show that nearly 8 in 10 university students were exposed to trauma at the beginning of their studies. The prevalence of probable PTSD/CPTSD was comparable to other studies conducted on the general population and university students.

Citation

Truskauskaite, I., Dumarkaite, A., Petrauskaite, G., Andersson, G., Brailovskaia, J., Karatzias, T., …Kazlauskas, E. (in press). ICD-11 PTSD and complex PTSD in Lithuanian university students: Prevalence and associations with trauma exposure. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001436

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 7, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Jan 23, 2023
• Deposit Date: Jan 25, 2023
• Journal: Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy
• Print ISSN: 1942-9681
• Electronic ISSN: 1942-969X
• Publisher: American Psychological Association
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001436
• Keywords: trauma, prevalence, PTSD, complex PTSD, youth, Lithuania