Prevalence and clinical correlates of dissociative symptoms in people with complex PTSD: Is complex PTSD a dissociative disorder?

• Published in: Psychiatry research Vol. 339; p. 116076
• Main Authors: Fung, Hong Wang, Yuan, Guangzhe Frank, Liu, Caimeng, Lin, Eleanor Sui Sum, Lam, Stanley Kam Ki, Wong, Janet Yuen-Ha
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier B.V 01-09-2024
• Subjects: Comorbidity; Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (Complex PTSD); Dissociation; Functional impairments; Trauma; Dissociation; Comorbidity; Trauma; Functional impairments; Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (Complex PTSD)
• ISSN: 0165-1781; 1872-7123; 1872-7123
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2024.116076

•Complex PTSD is associated with dissociative symptoms.•42.3 % of participants with complex PTSD exhibit dissociative symptoms.•Dissociative symptoms had a unique association with depressive symptoms and impairments in complex PTSD.
The extent to which complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) can be conceptualized as a dissociative disorder remains an ongoing debate. This study investigated the prevalence and correlates of dissociative symptoms in people with C-PTSD. We analyzed baseline data from an international randomized controlled trial. A total of 165 intervention seekers who met the ICD-11 criteria for C-PTSD completed standardized self-report measures of trauma, C-PTSD symptoms, dissociative symptoms, depressive symptoms, and work and social impairments. In this sample, only 42.3 % of participants exhibited clinically significant dissociative symptoms. Dissociative symptoms had a unique association with depressive symptoms and work and social impairments in our participants with C-PTSD, even after controlling for trauma exposure and C-PTSD symptoms. The data does not support the theory that C-PTSD is a dissociative disorder. However, the findings highlight the importance of recognizing dissociation in people with C-PTSD.