Polytraumatic Stress Types in Ordinary and Complex PTSD

The International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision, characterizes post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as “complex” when usual PTSD symptoms are accompanied by pervasive psychological disturbances (e.g., affective dysregulation, negative self-concept, disturbed relationships) resulting from early interpersonal traumas, such as prolonged child abuse. To ascertain how different trauma patterns and time since trauma associate with ordinary PTSD and complex PTSD (measured categorically and dimensionally), researchers recruited an epidemiologically representative sample of 834 Israeli adults (mean age, 41; 50% men) who endorsed at least one prior trauma. Most participants were from urban areas, college educated, and employed; 743 (89%)…