Assessment tools for complex post traumatic stress disorder: a systematic review

Abstract

Appropriate screening tools are required to accurately detect complex post traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). This systematic review aimed to assess and compare measurement tools. A literature search using key words ‘complex post traumatic stress disorder’, ‘PTSD’, and ‘assessment’ was undertaken on Embase and PsychINFO during February 2022 by two reviewers. Inclusion criteria included full text papers between 2002–2022 which evaluated CPTSD using assessment tools. Exclusion criteria included reviews, editorials, meta-analyses, or conference abstracts. Twenty-two papers met selection criteria. Thirteen studies used the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ). Two studies each evaluated CPTSD with the International Trauma Interview (ITI) or Symptoms of Trauma Scale (SOTS). The Developmental Trauma Inventory (DTI), Cameron Complex Trauma Interview (CCTI), Complex PTSD Item Set additional to the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (COPISAC), Complex Trauma Questionnaire (ComplexTQ), and Scale 8 of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Scale (MMPI) were used by a single study each. The ITQ was the most thoroughly investigated, validated across different populations, and is a convenient questionnaire for screening within the clinical setting. Where self-report measures are inappropriate, the ITI, SOTS, and COPISAC are interview tools which detect CPTSD. However, they require further validation and should be used alongside clinical history and examination.

Key Points

• Validated and reliable screening tools are required to accurately detect and manage complex post traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD)

• The International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) is the most thoroughly investigated, validated across different populations, and is a freely available and convenient tool for screening within clinical settings

• In circumstances where self-report measures are inappropriate, the ITI, SOTS, and COPISAC are interview tools which detect CPTSD, but require further validation and should be used alongside clinical history and examination

• Further research is needed to ensure appropriate assessment tools for the detection and diagnosis of CPTSD are available

Keywords:

• Assessment tool
• complex post traumatic stress disorder
• CPTSD
• international trauma questionnaire
• ICD-11

Acknowledgements

The authors thank you to Dr. Partha Das, General Adult Psychiatrist from Austin Health for your advice and support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Table 1. Comparison of studies which evaluated CPTSD with an assessment tool.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.