Factors of PTSD: Differential specificity and external correlates

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has been found to be a multidimensional disorder most likely consisting of four distinct symptom dimensions. Many studies have investigated the fit of two competing structural models of PTSD (King et al., 1998; Simms et al., 2002). However, little research has been done on the utility and differential external correlates of these dimensions. Meta-analysis was used to find the correlations between dimensions of PTSD and five external variables (depression, anxiety, panic, substance use, and trauma history), and multivariate analysis was used to find the unique contributions of each dimension in predicting each variable. It was found that the Simms et al. (2002) model better divides PTSD symptoms into specific and general factors. The relative specificity of each factor is discussed.

► We examine external correlates of PTSD factors.
► We examine unique predictive power of each factor.
► Dysphoria model of PTSD best separates general and specific variance.