Symptom structure of ICD-11 Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) in trauma-exposed foster children: examining the International Trauma Questionnaire – Child and Adolescent Version (ITQ-CA)

Autor(en)

Alexander Haselgruber, Katharina Sölva, Brigitte Lueger-Schuster

Abstrakt

Background: The 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) introduces Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) as two distinct trauma-related disorders. Numerous studies support the proposed symptom structure of ICD-11 CPTSD in adults, but only a few studies have examined CPTSD symptom structure in children, reporting diverging results. To assess ICD-11 CPTSD in children, the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) was recently adapted for children
and adolescents (ITQ-CA), with no validated German version available yet.
Objective: This study aimed (1) to test the symptom structure of ICD-11 CPTSD in a sample of trauma-exposed foster children using the ITQ-CA, and (2) to examine the concurrent, convergent and discriminant validity of the German ITQ-CA.
Method: Altogether, 161 Austrian foster children completed a set of standardized measures, resulting in a final sample of 135 trauma-exposed foster children meeting the inclusion criteria. Psychometric properties of the ITQ-CA were assessed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), bivariate correlations and multivariate regression.
Results: CFA supported ICD-11 CPTSD symptom structure in children as a two-factor higherorder model with PTSD and Disturbances in Self-Organization (DSO) as correlated factors with very good model fit, while a one-factor higher-order model also fitted the data very well. High factor loadings and excellent levels of internal reliability evidenced the psychometric adequacy of the ITQ-CA. Concurrent and convergent validity were evidenced by high
correlations between ITQ-CA scales and criterion variables (PTSD symptoms, depression, anxiety, dissociation, lifetime traumatization). Discriminant validity was partly supported by PTSD and DSO being differently predicted by exogenous criterion variables.
Conclusions: CPTSD symptom structure in children is in support of the ICD-11 conceptualization. The reliability and validity of the German ITQ-CA are evidenced for the first time, identifying it as an easy-to-use screening instrument to assess ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD in children. Further implications and areas for upcoming studies are discussed.

Organisation(en)

Institut für Klinische und Gesundheitspsychologie

Journal

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

Band

11

Seiten

1818974

Anzahl der Seiten

11

ISSN

2000-8066

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2020.1818974

Publikationsdatum

2020

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ÖFOS 2012

501010 Klinische Psychologie, 501009 Kinder- und Jugendpsychologie

Schlagwörter

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Psychiatry and Mental health

Link zum Portal

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/e3363e68-170a-4406-9457-3c4974fe34ff