ICD-11 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD among organized violence survivors in modern South Korean history of political oppression

ABSTRACT

Background and Objectives

Construct and discriminant validity of the ICD-11 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (CPTSD) has been examined worldwide. However, little is known about CPTSD in Korean population who are suffering with long-term responses of organized violence in their context.

Design

This study conducted a cross-sectional survey to assess the construct and discriminant validity of the ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD using the Korean International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) among organized violence survivors of past political oppression (from 1940s to 2010s) in South Korea.

Method

A total of 236 survivors and families completed the survey including the ITQ. A confirmatory factor analysis and a multinomial logistic regression were conducted.

Results

A second-order eight-factor, the ICD-11 CPTSD model, best described the structure of CPTSD. Compared to the non-diagnosed group, having above median score of cumulative trauma was a risk factor for PTSD [Odds ratio (OR) = 3.18] and CPTSD (OR = 3.27). Having above median score of cumulative social stressors increased the risk of CPTSD, relative to PTSD (OR = 4.84), and to the non-diagnosed group (OR = 7.79).

Conclusions

The ITQ seemed applicable to the Korean culture, showing a valid construct and meaningfully distinguishing ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD.

KEYWORDS:

• Posttraumatic stress disorder
• complex posttraumatic stress disorder
• International Trauma Questionnaire
• cumulative stress
• organized violence

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety of the Republic of Korea.