A Distinction Without a Difference? A Multi-Method Approach to Understanding PTSD and Depression Symptom Overlap Among Disaster-Exposed Adolescents

• Published in: Journal of abnormal child psychology Vol. 51; no. 7; pp. 1021 - 1035
• Main Authors: Haws, James Kyle, Laifer, Lauren M., Acosta, Laura M., Ralston, Allura L., Ruggiero, Kenneth J., Davidson, Tatiana M., Andrews, Arthur R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.07.2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescents; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Child and School Psychology; Comorbidity; Conceptual models; Confirmatory factor analysis; Depressive personality disorders; Latent class analysis; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mixed methods research; Network analysis; Neurosciences; Post traumatic stress disorder; Psychological trauma; Psychology; Public Health; Teenagers; Traumatic life events; Understanding; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Adolescents; Comorbidity; Natural disasters; Major depressive disorder
• ISSN: 2730-7166; 2730-7174
• DOI: 10.1007/s10802-023-01042-3

Among adolescents exposed to trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) commonly co-occur. Despite the prevalence of comorbidity, the question of how PTSD and MDD are related and appropriate conceptual models for understanding their linkage in adolescence remains unclear. This study applies a multi-methodological approach to advance conceptual and theoretical understanding of the overlap between PTSD and MDD diagnoses/symptoms. We tested three methodological approaches with three distinct theoretical underpinnings on the structure of each disorder proposed in the literature: confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with dimensional constructs, latent class analysis (LCA) with person-based categorical constructs, and network analysis with symptom-to-symptom associations. Across the three different analytical approaches, there was a significant overlap between PTSD and MDD. Overall, there was no compelling evidence for distinct boundaries between disorders among trauma-exposed adolescents. Instead, we found considerable evidence that the typical latent-construct-based conceptualizations, whether categorical or dimensional, may need revision.