Edinburgh Napier University

  Background. ICD-11 includes a new trauma-related complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), resulting predominantly from reoccurring or prolonged trauma. Previous studies showed that lack of social support is among the strongest predictors of PTSD, however, social factors have been sparsely studied in the context of the ICD-11 definition of PTSD and CPTSD.
Aim. The aims of this study were to analyze the factor structure of the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) in a Lithuanian clinical sample and to evaluate the mediating role of social-interpersonal factors in the relationship between trauma exposure and ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD.
Method. The sample comprised 280 adults from outpatient mental health centers (age: M (SD) = 39.48 (13.35); 77.5% female). Trauma-related traumatic stress symptoms were measured with the ITQ. Social disapproval was measured with the Social Acknowledgment Questionnaire (SAQ) and trauma disclosure – using the Disclosure of Trauma Questionnaire (DTQ).
Results. PTSD and CPTSD prevalence among the Lithuanian mental health service users in this study was 13.9% and 10.0%, respectively. Results indicated that avoidance of trauma disclosure mediated the relationship between trauma exposure and ICD-11 PTSD as well as CPTSD while social disapproval mediated only the relationship between trauma exposure and CPTSD.
Conclusions. The findings suggest that disclosure of traumatic experiences and support from the closest friends and family members might mitigate the effects of traumatic experiences, potentially reducing the risk of developing complex PTSD.