@article{ref1,
title="Longitudinal patterns of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms among sexual assault survivors: a latent transition analysis",
journal="Psychological trauma: theory, research, practice, and policy",
year="2022",
author="Goodman-Williams, Rachael and Clark, Shaunna L. and Campbell, Rebecca and Ullman, Sarah E.",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify latent classes of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in a community sample of sexual assault survivors whose assaults occurred varying lengths of time in the past and to explore patterns of transition between those latent classes over time. <br><br>METHOD: Latent class analysis was used to identify naturally occurring subgroups of PTSD symptoms in a sample of sexual assault survivors who completed two mailed surveys 1 year apart (N = 1,271). Latent transition analysis was then used to examine individuals' probabilities of transitioning into each latent class at Time 2 based on their latent class membership at Time 1. <br><br>RESULTS: A four-class model emerged as the best fitting model at both Time 1 and Time 2. Classes demonstrated overall severity and symptom cluster severity differences. Transition into a lower severity class was more common than transition into a higher severity class, though escalation was demonstrated by 6-20% of participants in each latent class. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The substantial heterogeneity in sexual assault survivors' PTSD symptoms highlights the variety of ways that posttraumatic stress may be experienced years after a sexual assault. Future research should explore factors that affect long-term symptoms, including cumulative lifetime trauma and social support. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1942-9681",
doi="10.1037/tra0001376",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tra0001376"
}