Responding to concerns related to the measurement of ICD-11 complex posttraumatic stress disorder using the International Trauma Questionnaire

Hyland, Philip; Brewin, Chris R.; Cloitre, Marylène; Karatzias, Thanos; Shevlin, Mark

Abstract

Background: A recent study in this journal by Frewen et al. (2023) provided a critical analysis of the most widely used measure of ICD-11 Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD), the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ). The article was a thoughtful review and gave voice to several widely held concerns about the nature of CPTSD as it is represented in ICD-11 and measured by the ITQ. The primary concern expressed by Frewen et al. was that the symptom profile of ICD-11 CPTSD, as represented in the ITQ, is too simple and fails to provide adequate coverage of the construct.

Objective: Despite its quality, the article included several misunderstandings about the nature of ICD-11 CPTSD, and the function of the ITQ, that we wish to clarify.

Participants: Not applicable.

Setting: Not applicable

Results: In this article, we provide a description of what ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD are, a review of the process that led to their inclusion in ICD-11, how the ITQ was developed and refined to measure these constructs. We then provide responses to several of the most important concerns raised by Frewen et al.

Conclusions: We highlight the clinical utility of the ICD-11 descriptions of PTSD and CPTSD and discuss how the ITQ can be used as part of a suite of clinical assessments to accurately describe and understand common experiences of psychological distress that often result from exposure to traumatic life events.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 15, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Nov 25, 2023
• Publication Date: 2024-01
• Deposit Date: Nov 15, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 26, 2026
• Print ISSN: 0145-2134
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 147
• Article Number: 106563
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106563
• Keywords: Complex PTSD, PTSD, International Trauma Questionnaire, ICD-11
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/3385993