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Updated: Feb 6, 2026
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Biomarkers in an Animal Model for Revealing Neural, Hematologic, and Behavioral Correlates of PTSD
Published on: October 10, 2012
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Relations between PTSD and depression symptom clusters in samples differentiated by PTSD diagnostic status
Ateka A Contractor1, Talya Greene2, Megan Dolan1
1Department of Psychology, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA.
Journal of Anxiety Disorders
|August 25, 2018
Summary
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression often co-occur. This study found specific PTSD symptom clusters, like dysphoric arousal, are strongly linked to somatic depression, while others link to non-somatic depression.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are common after trauma and lead to significant functional impairment.
- Understanding the mechanisms underlying this comorbidity is crucial for effective treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cluster-level associations between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.
- To identify specific PTSD symptom clusters that contribute to the shared variance with different facets of depression.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 368 trauma-exposed participants recruited via Amazon's Mechanical Turk.
- Employed confirmatory factor analyses and Wald tests within PTSD and probable PTSD subsamples to examine cluster associations.
Main Results:
- The dysphoric arousal cluster in PTSD was strongly associated with somatic depression.
- Negative affect, externalizing behaviors, and anhedonia clusters were linked to non-somatic depression.
- Specific PTSD clusters explained shared variance with somatic and non-somatic depression, highlighting distinct pathways.
Conclusions:
- Findings illuminate the mechanisms of PTSD-depression comorbidity by linking specific PTSD symptom clusters to distinct depressive presentations.
- Results support the refinement of diagnostic criteria and inform the development of transdiagnostic, multi-component treatment protocols for co-occurring PTSD and depression.
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