Anger as an underlying dimension of posttraumatic stress disorder.

In this study, we examined the underlying role of anger in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although anger is currently considered within two symptoms of PTSD (i.e., anger/irritability; and negative emotional state), some research has found that anger is more than just a diagnostic symptom of PTSD. The sample consisted of 375 trauma-exposed individuals that completed the PTSD Checklist-5 and Dimensions of Anger Reactions Scale. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess PTSD's factor structure based on the four-factor DSM-5 PTSD model. Subsequently, the model was re-tested, statistically controlling for anger by regressing PTSD's items on an observed anger score. Individual factor loading differences were then compared to determine anger's underlying role. Results indicated that a significant amount of variance in PTSD, at both the item level and factor level, was attributable to an underlying dimension of anger. The largest factor attenuation was for the symptom of irritability/anger and the smallest attenuation was recklessness. The results suggest that anger underlies more of PTSD than the two diagnostic symptom criteria.

The 7-factor hybrid model of DSM-5 PTSD symptoms and alcohol consumption and consequences in a national sample of trauma-exposed veterans.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate associations between the 7-factor hybrid model of DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, which includes intrusions, avoidance, negative affect, anhedonia, externalizing behaviors, anxious arousal, and dysphoric arousal symptoms, and alcohol consumption and consequences. A nationally representative sample of 916 trauma-exposed U.S. military veterans were administered the Trauma History Screen, PTSD Checklist-5, and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to determine associations between the 7-factor hybrid model of PTSD symptoms, and alcohol consumption and consequences. Results revealed that lifetime dysphoric arousal (r=0.31), negative affect (r=0.30), and anhedonia (r=0.29) symptom clusters were most strongly associated with past-year alcohol consequences. No significant associations were observed for alcohol consumption. While the cross-sectional study design does not allow one to ascertain causative associations between PTSD factors and alcohol consumption and consequences, results generally align with the self-medication hypothesis, as PTSD factors reflecting internalizing were most strongly related to alcohol-related consequences. These results underscore the importance of assessing for alcohol use problems in veterans who score highly on PTSD symptoms reflecting internalizing symptomatology.

Latent classes of childhood poly-victimization and associations with suicidal behavior among adult trauma victims: Moderating role of anger.

The aims of the present study were first to identify discrete patterns of childhood victimization experiences including crime, child maltreatment, peer/sibling victimization, sexual violence, and witnessing violence among adult trauma victims using latent class analysis; second, to examine the association between class-membership and suicidal behavior, and third to investigate the differential role of dispositional anger on the association between class-membership and suicidal behavior. We hypothesized that those classes with accumulating exposure to different types of childhood victimization (e.g., poly-victimization) would endorse higher suicidal behavior, than the other less severe classes, and those in the most severe class with higher anger trait would have stronger association with suicidal behavior. Respondents were 346 adults (N=346; Mage=35.0years; 55.9% female) who had experienced a lifetime traumatic event. Sixty four percent had experienced poly-victimization (four or more victimization experiences) and 38.8% met the cut-off score for suicidal behavior. Three distinct classes emerged namely, the Least victimization (Class 1), the Predominantly crime and sibling/peer victimization (Class 2), and the Poly-victimization (Class 3) classes. Regression analysis controlling for age and gender indicated that only the main effect of anger was significantly associated with suicidal behavior. The interaction term suggested that those in the Poly-victimization class were higher on suicidal behavior as a result of a stronger association between anger and suicidal behavior in contrast to the association found in Class 2. Clinical implications of findings entail imparting anger management skills to facilitate wellbeing among adult with childhood poly-victimization experiences.

Relations between anger and DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms.

The present study investigated the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anger. Anger co-occurring with PTSD is found to have a severe effect across a wide range of traumatic experiences, making this an important relationship to examine. The present study utilized data regarding dimensions of PTSD symptoms and anger collected from a non-clinical sample of 247 trauma-exposed participants. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to determine the underlying factor structure of both PTSD and anger by examining anger in the context of three models of PTSD. Results indicate that a five-factor representation of PTSD and one-factor representation of anger fit the data best. Additionally, anger demonstrated a strong relationship with the dysphoric arousal and negative alterations in cognitions and mood (NACM) factors; and dysphoric arousal was differentially related to anger. Clinical implications include potential need to reevaluate PTSD's diagnostic symptom structure and highlight the potential need to target and treat comorbid anger in individuals with PTSD. In regard to research, these results support the heterogeneity of PTSD.

An investigation of PTSD's core dimensions and relations with anxiety and depression.

OBJECTIVE: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is highly comorbid with anxiety and depressive disorders, which is suggestive of shared variance or common underlying dimensions. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between the latent factors of PTSD with the constructs of anxiety and depression in order to increase understanding of the co-occurrence of these disorders. METHOD: Data were collected from a nonclinical sample of 186 trauma-exposed participants using the PTSD Checklist and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to determine model fit comparing 3 PTSD factor structure models, followed by Wald tests comparing the relationships between PTSD factors and the core dimensions of anxiety and depression. RESULTS: In model comparisons, the 5-factor dysphoric arousal model of PTSD provided the best fit for the data, compared to the emotional numbing and dysphoria models of PTSD. Compared to anxious arousal, the dysphoric arousal and numbing factors of PTSD were more related to depression severity. Numbing, anxious arousal, and dysphoric arousal were not differentially related to the latent anxiety factor. CONCLUSIONS: The underlying factors of PTSD contain aspects of the core dimensions of both anxiety and depression. The heterogeneity of PTSD's associations with anxiety and depressive constructs requires additional empirical exploration because clarification regarding these relationships will impact diagnostic classification as well as clinical practice.

Posttraumatic stress disorder's dysphoria dimension and relations with generalized anxiety disorder symptoms.

The present study investigated symptom relations between two highly comorbid disorders--posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)--by exploring their underlying dimensions. Based on theory and prior empirical research it was expected that the dysphoria factor of PTSD would be more highly related to GAD. As part of a longitudinal project of mental health among Ohio National Guard Soldiers, 1266 subjects were administered the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale (GAD-7). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were conducted to examine two models of PTSD and to determine which PTSD factors were more related to the GAD factor. The results indicate that the GAD factor was significantly more highly correlated with PTSD's dysphoria factor than with all other PTSD factors, including PTSD's reexperiencing factor, avoidance factor, and hyperarousal factor. Results indicate GAD was not significantly more highly correlated with numbing than most other factors of PTSD. The results are consistent with prior research. Implications of the results are discussed in regards to PTSD in DSM-5, comorbidity and diagnostic specificity.

Dimensional structure of DSM-5 posttraumatic stress symptoms: support for a hybrid Anhedonia and Externalizing Behaviors model.

Several revisions to the symptom clusters of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been made in the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Central to the focus of this study was the revision of PTSD's tripartite structure in DSM-IV into four symptom clusters in DSM-5. Emerging confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) studies have suggested that DSM-5 PTSD symptoms may be best represented by one of two 6-factor models: (1) an Externalizing Behaviors model characterized by a factor which combines the irritability/anger and self-destructive/reckless behavior items; and (2) an Anhedonia model characterized by items of loss of interest, detachment, and restricted affect. The current study conducted CFAs of DSM-5 PTSD symptoms assessed using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) in two independent and diverse trauma-exposed samples of a nationally representative sample of 1484 U.S. veterans and a sample of 497 Midwestern U.S. university undergraduate students. Relative fits of the DSM-5 model, the DSM-5 Dysphoria model, the DSM-5 Dysphoric Arousal model, the two 6-factor models, and a newly proposed 7-factor Hybrid model, which consolidates the two 6-factor models, were evaluated. Results revealed that, in both samples, both 6-factor models provided significantly better fit than the 4-factor DSM-5 model, the DSM-5 Dysphoria model and the DSM-5 Dysphoric Arousal model. Further, the 7-factor Hybrid model, which incorporates key features of both 6-factor models and is comprised of re-experiencing, avoidance, negative affect, anhedonia, externalizing behaviors, and anxious and dysphoric arousal symptom clusters, provided superior fit to the data in both samples. Results are discussed in light of theoretical and empirical support for the latent structure of DSM-5 PTSD symptoms.

DSM-5 PTSD's symptom dimensions and relations with major depression's symptom dimensions in a primary care sample.

Existing literature indicates significant comorbidity between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depression. We examined whether PTSD's dysphoria and mood/cognitions factors, conceptualized by the empirically supported four-factor DSM-5 PTSD models, account for PTSD's inherent relationship with depression. We hypothesized that depression's somatic and non-somatic factors would be more related to PTSD's dysphoria and mood/cognitions factors than other PTSD model factors. Further, we hypothesized that PTSD's arousal would significantly mediate relations between PTSD's dysphoria and somatic/non-somatic depression. Using 181 trauma-exposed primary care patients, confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) indicated a well-fitting DSM-5 PTSD dysphoria model, DSM-5 numbing model and two-factor depression model. Both somatic and non-somatic depression factors were more related to PTSD's dysphoria and mood/cognitions factors than to re-experiencing and avoidance factors; non-somatic depression was more related to PTSD's dysphoria than PTSD's arousal factor. PTSD's arousal did not mediate the relationship between PTSD's dysphoria and somatic/non-somatic depression. Implications are discussed.