Date of Award

2017

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Abstract

This study examined differences in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) prevalence rates using the DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000) and DSM-5 (APA, 2013) diagnostic criteria, while also examining the influence of gender, trauma type, and number of traumas. PTSD may occur following exposure to trauma, and is characterized by symptoms of re-experiencing the trauma, avoidance, negative cognitions and mood, and changes in reactivity (APA, 2013). Women have shown higher PTSD prevalence rates than men, and both interpersonal trauma and multiple trauma exposure have been associated with higher rates of PTSD development (Kilpatrick et al., 2013). The DSM-5 PTSD criteria were substantially revised from the DSM-IV criteria, with changes in the number of symptoms and re-organization of the symptoms into four clusters based on factor analytic studies. Changes to diagnostic criteria can result in notable shifts in prevalence rates (Van Ameringen, Mancini, & Patterson, 2011), although research comparing DSM-IV and DSM-5 PTSD prevalence has yielded inconsistent results (Elhai et al., 2012; Kilpatrick et al., 2013). Undergraduate students who reported a traumatic experience completed online self-report measures of DSM-IV and DSM-5 PTSD symptoms, traumatic experiences, depression, anxiety and a demographic questionnaire. The hypothesis that PTSD prevalence rates would significantly differ between the DSM-IV and DSM-5 was not supported, although a number of individuals who met DSM-IV or DSM-5 PTSD criteria did not meet criteria using the other classification. Also contrary to the hypotheses, women did not have higher PTSD prevalence rates, although women had higher mean PTSD symptom scores than men for the DSM-IV. As hypothesized, greater number of traumas, as well as interpersonal trauma, predicted PTSD diagnosis. Consistent with the hypothesis, findings supported a four-factor model of PTSD symptoms as providing the best fit for the data. Limitations and strengths of the study, implications, and directions for future research are discussed.

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