Prospective network of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms across adolescent survivors with distinct trajectories of PTSD: A cohort study of the Wenchuan earthquake

Zijuan Ma, Dongfang Wang, Xueying Fu, Yanqiang Tao, Yifan Zhang, Wenxu Liu, Fang Fan*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

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Abstract

There are multiple trajectories of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms following disasters. Unraveling the patterns of interactions between PTSD symptoms across distinct PTSD trajectories is crucial. This study was aimed at investigating the temporal sequences, changes, and predictive symptoms in PTSD networks over time across distinct PTSD trajectory groups. Data were exacted from the Wenchuan Earthquake Adolescent Health Cohort (WEAHC) study. The current study included 1022 adolescents (424 males) who participated in follow-up surveys at 12 months and 24 months post-earthquake. Self-reported PTSD symptoms were assessed with the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Self-Rating Scale. The between-person network revealed significant differences across distinct trajectories. In the chronic dysfunction group, “Intrusive thoughts” had the strongest value in predicting on other PTSD symptoms. In contrast, “Difficulty in study or work” in the recovery group and “Physiological cue reactivity” in the resistance group were highly associated with the remission of other PTSD symptoms. These findings underscore the importance of “Difficulty in study or work” and “Physiological cue reactivity” for promoting the spontaneous remission of PTSD and further suggest that “Intrusive thoughts” maybe helpful to minimize the subsequent presence of other PTSD symptoms. Future research should investigate the causality and associations between within-person networks.
Original languageEnglish
Article number102767
JournalJournal of Anxiety Disorders
Volume99
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Oct 2023

Keywords

  • Heterogeneity
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms
  • Prospective network

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