Scoping Review of Experience Sampling Methodology Investigations of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious mental health condition with profound impact at both the individual and population level. In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in studying PTSD using experience sampling methodologies (ESM), which allow for nuanced examination of how symptoms are experienced in or near real time, in the natural contexts of individuals' lives. We conducted a scoping review of studies of adults that employed ESM to assess PTSD symptoms. Our primary goals were to characterize the participants of such studies, key design features of ESM studies of PTSD, and analytical approaches employed for ESM data of PTSD symptoms. We also examined to what extent the current literature reflects best practices in reporting for ESM/ecological momentary assessment (EMA) studies. Our findings revealed an active and growing literature, with 136 published articles reflecting 89 unique samples identified. There were some commonalities across studies in population (e.g., US-based participants with unspecified trauma exposure), design (e.g., multiple assessments per day with Likert rating scales under an interval-contingent schedule), and analysis (e.g., representing symptoms as a composite in multilevel modeling). However, they varied in terms of design characteristics (e.g., study duration, number of assessments per day, other constructs assessed) and data analytic methods. Papers largely adhered to recent guidelines for reporting on ESM studies although opportunities for improvement were identified. Results support use of ESM to investigate the dynamics of PTSD symptoms. We discuss strengths and limitations of the existing literature and suggestions for future research.