Foster children's complex psychopathology in the context of cumulative childhood trauma: The interplay of ICD-11 complex PTSD, dissociation, depression, and emotion regulation

• Published in: Journal of affective disorders Vol. 282; pp. 372 - 380
• Main Authors: Haselgruber, Alexander, Knefel, Matthias, Sölva, Katharina, Lueger-Schuster, Brigitte
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.03.2021
• Subjects: Austria; Child; Child, Foster; Complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD); Complex psychopathology; Cumulative childhood trauma; Depression; Dissociative Disorders; Emotional Regulation; Foster children; Humans; ICD-11; International Classification of Diseases; Network model; Psychiatric/Mental Health; Psychopathology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology; Austria; Complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD); ICD-11; Foster children; Network model; Complex psychopathology; Cumulative childhood trauma
• ISSN: 0165-0327; 1573-2517; 1573-2517
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.12.116

•Children's psychopathology identified as network of mutually interacting factors.•The interplay of factors maintains a stable condition of complex psychopathology.•Aspects of CPTSD (PTSD, DSO) identified as most central.•Childhood trauma predicted PTSD via dissociation and DSO via emotion regulation.•CPTSD, dissociation, and emotion regulation may be effective treatment targets. Foster children experience maltreatment at exceptionally high rates with increased risk to develop ICD-11 complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). While rates of comorbidity between CPTSD and various disorders are high, the interplay between constituent aspects of psychopathology is not clearly understood. No study used network analysis to model the interplay between these aspects as potentially maintaining a stable condition of psychopathology, and research on the etiology and maintenance of CPTSD in children is especially scarce. Altogether, 208 Austrian foster children completed a set of standardized measures, resulting in a final sample of N = 122 foster children meeting the inclusion criteria. Experiences of childhood trauma, ICD-11 CPTSD, depression, dissociation, adaptive, and maladaptive emotion regulation were assessed. Following an exploratory approach, analyses were conducted using latent single indicator factor scores in two network models. Domains of CPTSD, PTSD and disturbances in self-organization (DSO), evidenced as most central factors in children's complex psychopathology. Including cumulative childhood trauma did not influence the connectedness of factors in any relevant way. Shortest direct paths from cumulative childhood trauma to CPTSD included dissociation (PTSD) and adaptive emotion regulation (DSO) as mediating factors. Results are based on a small sample of highly-traumatized foster children, potentially limiting current findings’ generalizability. CPTSD identified as central in children's complex psychopathology, while the role of childhood trauma seems stronger for the onset than the maintenance of such psychopathology. The current network revealed central disorders and distinct mediating factors as important targets for treatment strategies and future research.