ARQ Centrum'45, Diemen, the Netherlands.
ARQ Nationaal Psychotrauma Centrum, the Netherlands.
Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2024;15(1):2314915. doi: 10.1080/20008066.2024.2314915. Epub 2024 Feb 14.
Refugees often suffer from trauma-related psychopathology, specifically posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Negative world assumptions are strongly correlated with the development, course, and severity of PTSD. This study aimed to investigate whether there are distinct profiles of PTSD and negative world assumptions (NWA) and examine whether trauma load, torture, and gender differentially predict such symptom profiles. In a sample of 225 treatment-seeking refugees who had resettled in the Netherlands, latent profile analysis was used to identify subgroups of patients sharing the same profile of PTSD and NWA symptoms. Predictors of profile membership were analyzed via multinomial logistic regression. A three-profile solution yielded the best model fit: a low PTSD/low NWA profile (23.6%), a high PTSD/high NWA profile (41.8%), and a high PTSD/low NWA profile (34.7%). Participants who reported a higher trauma load, were more likely to be part of the high PTSD/high NWA profile or the high PTSD/low NWA profile in comparison to low PTSD/low NWA profile. Participants who reported having experienced torture were more likely to be part of the high PTSD/high NWA profile in comparison to low PTSD/low NWA profile. Gender did not differentiate between the profiles. This study reveals that among treatment-seeking refugees resettled in the Netherlands, there are distinct profiles of PTSD and NWA. These profiles indicate that PTSD and NWA are not uniformly experienced among refugees, emphasizing the diversity in their psychological responses to trauma. Among individuals experiencing severe PTSD symptoms, a subgroup was identified of individuals who additionally exhibited negative assumptions about themselves, others, and the world. Recognizing this heterogeneity is crucial in both research and clinical practice, particularly in the context of refugee mental health. Directions for future research are discussed.
难民经常遭受与创伤相关的精神病理学,特别是创伤后应激障碍(PTSD)。负面的世界观假设与 PTSD 的发展、病程和严重程度密切相关。本研究旨在调查是否存在 PTSD 和负面世界观假设(NWA)的不同特征,并研究创伤负荷、酷刑和性别是否会不同地预测这些症状特征。在一个由 225 名在荷兰重新安置的寻求治疗的难民组成的样本中,使用潜在剖面分析来识别具有相同 PTSD 和 NWA 症状特征的患者亚组。通过多项逻辑回归分析预测特征的成员。三种特征的解决方案得出了最佳的模型拟合:低 PTSD/低 NWA 特征(23.6%)、高 PTSD/高 NWA 特征(41.8%)和高 PTSD/低 NWA 特征(34.7%)。报告创伤负荷较高的参与者更有可能属于高 PTSD/高 NWA 特征或高 PTSD/低 NWA 特征,而不是低 PTSD/低 NWA 特征。报告曾遭受酷刑的参与者更有可能属于高 PTSD/高 NWA 特征,而不是低 PTSD/低 NWA 特征。性别在特征之间没有差异。本研究表明,在在荷兰重新安置的寻求治疗的难民中,存在 PTSD 和 NWA 的不同特征。这些特征表明,PTSD 和 NWA 在难民中并非均匀体验,强调了他们对创伤的心理反应的多样性。在经历严重 PTSD 症状的个体中,确定了一个亚组,该亚组除了对自己、他人和世界存在负面假设外,还表现出负面假设。认识到这种异质性在研究和临床实践中都至关重要,特别是在难民心理健康方面。讨论了未来研究的方向。