Investigating the latent structure of the International Trauma Questionnaire to assess ICD-11 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD in an adult civilian sample during the Ukraine war

Abstract

The symptom structure of ICD-11 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (CPTSD) and the validity of the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) are yet to be tested among civilians in an active war zone. The present investigation examined the factor structure of the ITQ, the internal consistency of observed scores, and their associations with demographic characteristics and war-related experiences using a nationwide sample of 2,004 adults from the general population of Ukraine approximately 6 months after the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022. Overall, rates of endorsement across all symptom clusters were high. The mean total number of war-related stressors reported was 9.07 (SD = 4.35, range: 1–26). Internal reliability was good for all six ITQ subscales, Cronbach's αs = .73–.88, and the correlated six-factor model was found to provide the best representation of the latent structure of the ITQ in the present sample based on fit indices. There was evidence of a dose–response relationship, with increasing scores on all symptom clusters associated with higher total reported war-related stressors.