Prevalence and clinical correlates of dissociative subtype of posttraumatic stress disorder at an outpatient trauma clinic in South Korea

• Published in: European journal of psychotraumatology Vol. 10; no. 1; p. 1657372
• Main Authors: Kim, Daeho, Kim, Dongjoo, Lee, Hyunji, Cho, Yubin, Min, Ji Young, Kim, Seok Hyeon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Taylor & Francis 01-01-2019; Taylor & Francis Ltd; Taylor & Francis Group
• Subjects: Clinical; Comorbidity; comorbilidad; disociación; dissociation; Dissociative disorders; dissociative subtype; Post traumatic stress disorder; prevalence; prevalencia; PTSD; subtipo disociativo; TEPT; Trauma; 创伤后应激障碍; 合并症; 患病率; 解离亚型; South Korea
• ISSN: 2000-8066; 2000-8198; 2000-8066
• DOI: 10.1080/20008198.2019.1657372

Background: Previous studies on of the dissociative subtype of posttraumatic stress disorder (d-PTSD) have relied on specialized statistical methods (i.e. profile or class analyses) for diagnosis than clinical rating available to clinicians.
Objective: This study investigated the prevalence and covariates of d-PTSD diagnosed by a semi-structured interview in a cohort of outpatients with DSM-IV PTSD in a specialized trauma clinic in South Korea.
Method: Data from 249 patients with civilian PTSD were examined, including demographics, clinical variables, Clinical Global Impression (CGI) Scale, and Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-IV). We defined d-PTSD as the presence of either depersonalization or derealization according to additional dissociative items of the CAPS. About one third (n = 82, 32.9%) of patients were designated as having d-PTSD.
Results: Compared to the other patients with PTSD, those with d-PTSD were younger, had more severe PTSD symptoms, frequent interpersonal trauma, and a higher number of comorbid disorders. When these variables and their interactions were entered into a logistic regression model, younger age, severe PTSD symptoms and two or more comorbid conditions remained for the final model. We did not find a significant difference in improvement over the course of treatment between two groups.
Conclusions: This study highlights the high prevalence of d-PTSD in a clinical population. Associated features of d-PTSD were similar to those reported in the Euro-American literature. Further studies are needed to better understand mechanisms and treatment options for d-PTSD.
* About one-third of PTSD patients in a clinical cohort were diagnosed as d-PTSD.
* d-PTSD group was younger and had severe PTSD symptoms and more psychiatric comorbidities.
* Rates of d-PTSD may be higher when the diagnoses were made with clinical interviews.