Annotated Bibliography: Anxiety and PTSD Disorders

Resick, P. A., Bovin, M. J., Calloway, A. L., Dick, A. M., King, M. W., Mitchell, K. S., … Wolf, E. J. (2012). A critical evaluation of the complex PTSD literature: Implications for the DSM-5. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 25(3), 241–251. 

In the article by Resick et al. (2012), the authors conduct an in-depth analysis of the psychological construct of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) to determine whether inclusion in the DSM-5 is merited.  This article demonstrates how the diagnostic methods outlined in the DSM-5, which is used by psychologists, must meet the standards of scientific rigor.  This is demonstrated in the article by the examination of CPTSD using standard scientific terminologies such as construct validity, convergent and discriminant validity, and incremental validity.  The article also notes that in order for CPTSD to be rightly considered a disorder of its’ own that reliable and valid assessment measures would be needed.

De Jongh, A., Resick, P. A., Zoellner, L. A., Van Minnen, A., Lee, C. W., Monson, C. M., … Bicanic, I. A. E. (2016). Critical analysis of the current treatment guidelines for complex PTSD in adults. Depression and Anxiety, 33(5), 359–369. 

In De Jongh et al. (2016), the authors did a systematic review of the literature to determine if there was sufficient scientific backing for guidelines that indicated that cases of CPTSD should be treated with an initial stabilization phase.  Firstly, the authors questioned whether or not CPTSD was a valid construct and determined that it was likely a variant of the already widely-accepted PTSD that appears in the DSM-5.  They then analyzed the studies that the Complex Trauma Task Force used to develop their recommendation for scientific rigor.  Due to the fact that there was a lack of consistent diagnostic assessment procedures, the authors found that it was difficult to determine if the patients examined actually had a valid case of CPTSD.  Furthermore, their assessment of the literature did not find sufficient evidence supporting a stabilization phase before other treatment phases in cases of diagnosed PTSD.

Clifford, G., Meiser-Stedman, R., Johnson, R. D., Hitchcock, C., & Dalgleish, T. (2018). Developing an emotion- and memory-processing group intervention for PTSD with complex features: A group case series with survivors of repeated interpersonal trauma. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 9(1), 1–11. 

In the study by Clifford, Meiser-Stedman, Johnson, Hitchcock, and Dalgleish (2018), the authors sought to determine if an emotion- and memory-processing group intervention for PTSD with complex features (also referred to as CPTSD) would be effective in reducing symptoms of PTSD, as well as symptoms unique to CPTSD sufferers.  As in the other studies reviewed, the authors concede that CPTSD is still not well defined and that there are not consistent tools to measure it, making scientific inquiry challenging.  The authors followed proper scientific methods by utilizing tools that had solid psychometric properties and that had been tested and were found to have good reliability and validity.  After completing the study, the authors found that the intervention was successful at reducing PTSD symptoms and CPTSD symptoms, however, they cautioned that due to small sample size, the findings might not be generalizable to a larger population.

Murphy, S., Elklit, A., Dokkedahl, S., & Shevlin, M. (2016). Testing the validity of the proposed ICD-11. PTSD and complex PTSD criteria using a sample from Northern Uganda. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 7. 

Murphy, Elklit, Dokkedahl, and Shevlin (2016) conducted this study to examine whether the proposed addition of CPTSD according to the ICD-11 criteria met scientific rigor to qualify as a separate disorder from PTSD in a non-Western population sample.  They noted that before new ICD-11 diagnostic criteria could be added, validity and clinical utility needs to be empirically tested in different settings.  This is another demonstration of the scientific rigor being applied within the field of psychology.  An analysis of a sample population using latent class analysis (LCA) revealed the presence of a CPTSD group, a PTSD group, and a low symptom group for each of the trauma samples.  They noted that their findings still do not support a clear distinction between PTSD and CPTSD, and the ICD-11 TQ has still not undergone psychometric testing, so their findings should be considered with caution.

Silove, D., Tay, A. K., Kareth, M., & Rees, S. (2017). The relationship of complex post-traumatic stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder in a culturally distinct, conflict-affected population: A study among West Papuan refugees displaced to Papua New Guinea. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 8(May), 1–9. 

In the study by Silove, Tay, Kareth, and Rees (2017), the researchers sought to determine whether a clear distinction could be seen between the anxiety disorders PTSD and CPTSD in a culturally-distinct population that had been exposed to prolonged persecution.  As with all the other studies, the authors of this study noted that CPTSD is still not well defined, however the potential inclusion of CPTSD in the ICD-11 warrants testing of the constructs in multiple settings and populations.  The authors also noted that there is a paucity of empirical studies of the CPTSD construct in victims of wartime violence, despite the fact that CPTSD was initially identified in survivors of concentration camps and prisoners of war.  The study utilized a psychometrically-sound measurement instrument to evaluate the symptoms of PTSD and CPTSD being experienced in the population, in keeping with sound scientific practice.  In their study, the authors concluded that PTSD and CPTSD as defined in ICD-11 were not different constructs in the context of a refugee population exposed to multiple trauma and persecution.

References

Clifford, G., Meiser-Stedman, R., Johnson, R. D., Hitchcock, C., & Dalgleish, T. (2018). Developing an emotion- and memory-processing group intervention for PTSD with complex features: A group case series with survivors of repeated interpersonal trauma. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 9(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2018.1495980

De Jongh, A., Resick, P. A., Zoellner, L. A., Van Minnen, A., Lee, C. W., Monson, C. M., … Bicanic, I. A. E. (2016). Critical analysis of the current treatment guidelines for complex PTSD in adults. Depression and Anxiety, 33(5), 359–369. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22469

Murphy, S., Elklit, A., Dokkedahl, S., & Shevlin, M. (2016). Testing the validity of the proposed ICD-11. PTSD and complex PTSD criteria using a sample from Northern Uganda. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 7. https://doi.org/10.3402/ejpt.v7.32678

Resick, P. A., Bovin, M. J., Calloway, A. L., Dick, A. M., King, M. W., Mitchell, K. S., … Wolf, E. J. (2012). A critical evaluation of the complex PTSD literature: Implications for the DSM-5. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 25(3), 241–251. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.21699

Silove, D., Tay, A. K., Kareth, M., & Rees, S. (2017). The relationship of complex post-traumatic stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder in a culturally distinct, conflict-affected population: A study among West Papuan refugees displaced to Papua New Guinea. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 8(May), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00073