Comparing PTSD symptom networks in type I vs. type II trauma survivors

Figures & data

Table 1. Sample characteristics.

Characteristics	Type I trauma survivors (n = 286)	Type II trauma survivors (n = 187)
Age (years, M, SD; Range)	37.27 (12.18; 18–76)	37.14 (11.66; 18–67)
Gender^a
Female (n, %)	162 (56.64%)	125 (66.84%)
Male	123 (43.36%)	62 (33.16%)
Education (n)^b
No qualification or only primary school	39 (13.64%)	32 (17.11%)
Middle school or equivalent	83 (29.02%)	59 (31.55%)
High school degree	75 (26.22%)	42 (22.46%)
University degree	73 (25.52%)	25 (13.37%)
Other	8 (2.80%)	6 (3.21%)
Type of traumatic events experienced (n)^c
Natural disaster	4 (1.06%)	0
Accident	60 (15.87%)	0
Physical assault	61 (16.14%)	83 (32.17%)
Sexual assault	74 (19.58%)	96 (37.21%)
Combat/Captivity	34 (8.99%)	46 (17.83%)
Life-threatening illness or injury	33 (8.73%)	3 (1.16%)
Sudden violent or accidental death	54 (14.28%)	0
Any other very stressful event or experience^d	58 (15.34%)	30 (11.63%)
Time passed since trauma exposure
Recruitment
Traumatised and attending assessment prior to PTSD treatment	260 (90.91%)	181 (96.79%)
Traumatised currently not seeking treatment	26 (9.09%)	6 (3.21%)

Note: type I = single event; sudden and unexpected, high levels of acute threat; type II = repeated and/or protracted; anticipated.

^a Missing for a participant (in type I trauma group).

^b Missing for 8 participants (2.80%) in type I and for 23 (12.30%) in type II group.

^c A participant could indicate multiple traumatic events; ^dFor example: being stalked, being a victim of intimidation by a criminal group, surviving from terroristic attacks.

Table 2. Means (SDs) of the PCL-5 Scores for type I and type II trauma survivors.

Variable	Type I (n = 286)	Type II (n = 187)	T	df	p
PCL-5 total score	37.42 (19.22)	43.59 (17.04)	−3.66	429.91	<.01
Re-experiencing	10.35 (5.64)	11.65 (5.10)	−2.60	425.28	<.01
Avoidance	4.19 (2.54)	5.07 (2.42)	−3.82	410.49	<.01
Changes in mood and cognition	12.15 (7.36)	14.81 (6.54)	−4.11	429.47	<.01
Hyperarousal	10.73 (6.15)	12.06 (5.42)	−2.47	431.15	<.01

Note: PCL-5 = PTSD Checklist for DSM-5.

Figure 1. Means of individual PCL items (with standard errors; Panel A) and estimated symptom networks for type-1 (Panel B) and type-2 (Panel C) trauma survivors.

Figure 2. Bayes factors (BFs) for edge-wise group differences.

Table 3. Bayes Factors (BFs) and Posterior Means and Standard Deviations for Edge-wise Group Differences (BF>3).

Edge (Item number, label)			BF	M	SD
Positive association in type I; Null association in type II
7–10	Avoidance of reminders	Blame of self or others	20.11	0.29	0.10
5–10	Physiological cue reactivity	Blame of self or others	8.48	0.26	0.10
9–14	Negative beliefs	Inability to experience positive emotions	6.82	0.25	0.10
7–17	Avoidance of reminders	Hypervigilance	4.86	0.24	0.10
13–19	Detachment	Difficulty concentrating	4.63	0.24	0.10
Negative association in type I; Null association in type II
7–15	Avoidance of reminders	Irritability/anger	3.67	−0.23	0.10
Null association in type I; Negative association in type II
12–16	Self-destructive/reckless behaviour	Loss of interest in activities	31.04	0.31	0.10
Null association in type I; Positive association in type II
1–3	Intrusive distressing thoughts or memories	Flashbacks	152.51	−0.33	0.09
10–17	Blame of self or others	Hypervigilance	8.01	−0.27	0.11
3–13	Flashbacks	Detachment	5.68	−0.24	0.10
5–11	Physiological cue reactivity	Negative trauma-related emotions	3.02	−0.22	0.10
Negative association in type I; Positive association in type II
3–20	Flashbacks	Sleep problems	26.45	−0.30	0.10

Data availability statement

Data can be shared with other researchers on request. Unfortunately, we did not obtain informed consent from the participants in this study to make their data publicly available. As our local Ethics Committee deems this necessary when making data publicly available, we are unable to post the data in an open repository.