Network Analysis of PTSD Symptoms in a Sample of Polyvictimized Youth

Polyvictimization (i.e., the experience of multiple types of victimization) increases the risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) relative to single-type victimization. Network analysis has been used to conceptualize PTSD among children and adolescents exposed to specific types of victimization (e.g., maltreatment, natural disasters), but not among those theorized to be at highest risk of poor outcomes (i.e., polyvictimized youth). The current study used network analysis to enhance our understanding of PTSD symptoms in a diverse sample of adolescents exposed to polyvictimization. Data were drawn from the Longitudinal Studies on Child Abuse and Neglect, a multi-site study of children and adolescents living in the United States (ages 0-18). Using indicators of seven different types of age-16 victimization, k-means cluster analysis identified a subgroup of polyvictimized youth. A PTSD symptom network was estimated for polyvictimized youth, with depersonalization, self-blame, and sadness emerging as central symptoms. Regression analyses indicated that depersonalization prospectively predicted age-18 anxiety symptoms, p = .033. Central symptoms did not predict age-18 PTSD or depression symptoms. To date, this is the first network study on a polyvictimized sample. While preliminary, our findings suggest that dissociation and self-blame may be central to polyvictimized youth and that dissociation may represent an important prevention target for anxiety.