Posttraumatic stress disorder symptom profiles – The role of temperament, traumatization, and cognitive factors

Abstract

Person-centered analyses may be applied to identify latent homogeneous subgroups of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The evidence suggests three to five class/profile solutions that are distinct in a quantitative and/or qualitative way. This study aimed to examine the evidence for different profiles of PTSD symptoms among a Polish sample exposed to road accidents and floods and to verify different predictors of profile membership: demographic and trauma-related variables, temperamental traits according to Jan Strelau's Regulative Theory of Temperament, and cognitive factors. Data from 572 participants, aged between 18 and 85 years were included. The latent profile analysis indicated five profiles: low symptom; intermediate symptom with higher negative affect; intermediate symptom with low negative affect, higher avoidance, and anxiety; elevated symptom; and high symptom. Multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed significant predictors of profile membership: temperamental trait – emotional reactivity, trauma exposure aspect - physical injuries, and three cognitive strategies of affect regulation: minimizing importance, thought suppression/mental distraction, and mental disengagement. Profiles differing not only in symptom severity, but also in the intensity of specific symptom clusters were obtained. Their diversity may be related to pre-, peri-, and post-traumatic factors of temperamental, trauma-related, and cognitive nature.