Complex PTSD in survivors of intimate partner violence: risk factors related to symptoms and diagnoses

In 2018, the World Health Organization proposed a new diagnosis entitled Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) in the ICD-11. It is a diagnosis that encompasses the classic symptoms of PTSD, along with symptoms of disturbances in self-organization (DSO). Although this disorder has been studied in several countries and populations, research on the population of women survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) is scarce.

1) To analyse the prevalence of CPTSD and PTSD according to ICD-11 criteria; 2) To analyse the associations between CPTSD symptomatology and severity of violence, level of fear, resilience and strategies of emotion regulation; 3) To analyse which risk factors (severity of violence, level of fear, resilience and strategies of emotion regulation) may differ between female survivors with CPTSD or PTSD.

162 women IPV survivors who completed a socio-demographic and violence-related interview, as well as questionnaires to assess PTSD and CPTSD, severity of violence, resilience and emotion regulation strategies.

The results showed a higher prevalence of CPTSD (39.50%), compared to PTSD (17.90%). Moreover, a high level of fear was related to re-experiencing in the here and now, avoidance, current sense of threat and disturbances in relationships. Low levels of resilience and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies such as expressive suppression were related to affective dysregulation, negative self-concept and disturbances in relationships. Finally, the results showed that maladaptive emotion regulation strategies differentiated between meeting CPTSD and PTSD criteria in women survivors of IPV.

The findings of this study indicated that CPTSD was twice as prevalent as PTSD within the sample. Moreover, maladaptive emotion regulation strategy as expressive suppression was the main variable related to experiencing CPTSD, in contrast to PTSD. These findings may have important implications for the design of specific treatments aimed at women survivors of IPV, who also suffer CPTSD.