Psychometric properties of the Posttraumatic Avoidance Behaviour Questionnaire among a treatment-seeking adult sample

Avoidance of trauma-related stimuli is thought to be central in the development and maintenance of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, knowledge of trauma-related avoidance has been limited by conceptualization of this construct as unifactorial and consisting of only two components. The Posttraumatic Avoidance Behaviour Questionnaire (PABQ; van Minnen & Hagenaars, 2010) was developed to assess distinct domains of avoidance.

The current study expanded upon one prior psychometric study of the PABQ by examining the internal consistency and construct validity of the PABQ among a sample of 177 treatment-seeking adults diagnosed with PTSD.

Results indicated that the psychometric properties vary by PABQ subscale. Although all subscales demonstrated adequate internal consistency, items that appear to be negatively impacting internal consistency were identified for several subscales. Although correlations between PABQ subscales indicate subscales index distinct dimensions of trauma-related avoidance, observed similar associations with external correlates suggest these subscales may not functionally differ in their association with PTSD symptoms and co-occurring psychopathology. Accordingly, results suggest further construct validity evidence is needed to determine whether, despite potentially representing distinct domains of avoidance, avoidance of different forms of trauma-related stimuli predicts functionally distinct outcomes.

Collectively, our results indicate that the PABQ is a potentially promising measure for assessing trauma-related avoidance behavior, although additional research is needed to better understand the degree to which these hypothesized distinct domains of avoidance behaviors represent meaningfully distinct constructs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).