Profiles of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), and subjective well-being in a sample of adult children of alcoholics.

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to examine the heterogeneity of a sample of adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) within the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (CPTSD) as well as DSM-5 PTSD diagnoses regarding the participants' subjective well-being (SWB). In addition, the construct validity of the ICD-11 CPTSD was assessed, and the ICD-11 and DSM-5 PTSD diagnoses among participants were compared. The sample consisted of 609 ACOAs. Participants filled out the PTSD Checklist for the DSM-5 (PCL-5), International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS-X), and the Children of Alcoholics Screening test (CAST-6). We observed many fewer PTSD cases when we followed the ICD-11 criteria compared to cases of PTSD diagnosed based on DSM-5 criteria among participants. In addition, latent profile analysis (LPA) did not provide evidence of the construct validity of CPTSD. Finally, we found heterogeneity of ACOAs sample in terms of PTSD/CPTSD profiles, which were differently related to their SWB. Further research is needed to establish to what extent CPTSD and PTSD are separate and discrete disorders and why such discrepancy in PTSD level is observed when we follow either DSM-5 or ICD-11. In addition, the person-centered approach may provide more insight than variable-centered methods and thus, undermine the "uniformity myths" about ACOAs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).