Differences between ICD-11 PTSD and complex PTSD on DSM-5 section III personality traits

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Personality Disorders

Background:

• The International Classification of Diseases, 11th Edition (ICD-11) includes new formulations for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (CPTSD).
• These ICD-11 formulations have not been extensively evaluated against maladaptive personality traits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD in relation to maladaptive personality traits.
• To investigate differences in personality traits between ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD.
• To explore the relationship between personality traits and symptom clusters of ICD-11 PTSD/CPTSD.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study of 106 Danish outpatients with ICD-10 PTSD was conducted.
• The International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) identified patients with ICD-11 PTSD or CPTSD (N=84).
• The Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) assessed personality traits, and the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview assessed comorbidity.

Main Results:

• Patients with ICD-11 PTSD or CPTSD exhibited elevated personality traits linked to internalizing psychopathology.
• Higher levels of Negative Affectivity (d=0.75) and Psychoticism (d=0.80) significantly differentiated ICD-11 CPTSD from PTSD.
• Detachment and Negative Self-concept symptom clusters showed significant correlations with various PID-5 trait domains and facets.

Conclusions:

• Dimensional personality assessment is relevant for understanding the psychopathology of ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD.
• Findings suggest CPTSD is a more debilitating disorder than PTSD due to the severity of associated personality features.
• The study underscores the importance of considering personality traits in the diagnosis and treatment of PTSD and CPTSD.