The structure of posttraumatic psychopathology in veterans attending primary care

This study attempted to extend research indicating that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) factors of Re-experiencing, Avoidance and Hyperarousal are more related to Fear/phobic disorders, while PTSD Dysphoria is more related to Anxious-Misery disorders. Trauma exposure, PTSD and comorbidity data for 668 veteran patients were analysed using confirmatory factor analyses and relative strengths of the relationships between PTSD factors and the Fear and Anxious-Misery factors were assessed. Combining Simms, Watson, and Doebbeling's (2002) model of PTSD symptoms and Krueger's (1999) Fear/Anxious Misery model of mood and anxiety disorders fit the data well. Contrary to previous research, PTSD Re-experiencing, Avoidance and Hyperarousal did not correlate more with the Fear factor; nor did PTSD Dysphoria correlate more with Anxious-Misery. Hyperarousal was more closely related to Fear than was Re-experiencing; however, Avoidance was not. Dysphoria was more closely related to the Anxious-Misery factor than all other PTSD factors.

► We modelled the relationship between PTSD factors and latent factors of Fear and Anxious-Misery. ► These relationships will have implications for PTSD structure in DSM-5. ► PTSD Re-experiencing, Avoidance and Hyperarousal did not correlate more with the Fear factor. ► Hyperarousal was more closely related to Fear than was Re-experiencing. ► Dysphoria was more closely related to the Anxious-Misery factor than all other PTSD factors.