Examining the structure of post-traumatic stress symptoms in South Africa: A latent class approach.

Abstract

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common and debilitating mental health disorder. In contexts with high levels of trauma exposure, such as South Africa, it is crucial to understand the way in which PTSD symptoms manifest. The present study examined the latent class structure of PTSD symptoms in a large sample of South Africans. Latent class analysis (LCA) was performed to identify patterns of DSM-5 PTSD symptoms in a sample of 477 trauma-exposed South African adults. Subsequent multinomial logistic regression was conducted to assess sociodemographic and clinical predictors of class membership. LCA revealed a four-class solution: (1) a low PTSD symptom class (24.7%), (2) a moderate PTSD symptom class (18,4%), (3) an avoidance/hyperarousal PTSD symptom class (24.7%) and (4) a high PTSD/high negative mood and cognitions symptom class (32.1%). Multinomial logistic regression analyses revealed distinctions between classes in PTSD diagnosis, anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, functional impairment and education level. Findings have implications for identifying subgroups of individuals with unique patterns of PTSD symptoms in South Africa and informing interventions in accordance with an individual's particular symptom profile.