| Abstract [eng] |
A large proportion of people are exposed to potentially threatening or extremely upsetting situations during their lifetime. While some people develop psychological resilience in the aftermath of these traumatic experiences, others face negative psychological consequences that can have a profound impact on their everyday lives. To better understand the difficulties faced by trauma-exposed individuals, in 2018 the World Health Organisation added the diagnosis of Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (Complex PTSD) to the latest 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). In this context, studies examining risk factors for the newly defined Complex PTSD and validation studies of assessment instruments for this disorder become particularly relevant. Although research in this area is increasing, there is still a noticeable knowledge gap: most assessment instruments for Complex PTSD are based on self-reported data; there is a lack of research on the validity of assessment instruments across different countries; and the results of studies analysing risk factors for Complex PTSD are often mixed. The aim of this PhD thesis is to better understand the prevalence and risk factors of ICD-11 Complex PTSD in the Lithuanian population and to validate the ICD-11 Complex PTSD assessment instruments: the self-report International Trauma Questionnaire and the clinical International Trauma Interview. The PhD thesis is based on four international scientific publications and presents the results of the research carried out at the Center for Psychotraumatology, Institute of Psychology, Vilnius University in 2019-2023. |
