Relations between anger and DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms

Tory A Durham; Brianna M Byllesby; Cherie Armour; David Forbes; Jon D Elhai

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2016.08.004

Relations between anger and DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms

Psychiatry Res. 2016 Oct 30:244:403-9. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2016.08.004. Epub 2016 Aug 5.

Authors

Tory A Durham¹, Brianna M Byllesby¹, Cherie Armour², David Forbes³, Jon D Elhai⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA.
² School of Psychology, University of Ulster, Coleraine Campus, Northern Ireland, UK.
³ Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
⁴ Department of Psychology, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA. Electronic address: http://www.jon-elhai.com.

PMID: 27525831
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2016.08.004

Abstract

The present study investigated the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anger. Anger co-occurring with PTSD is found to have a severe effect across a wide range of traumatic experiences, making this an important relationship to examine. The present study utilized data regarding dimensions of PTSD symptoms and anger collected from a non-clinical sample of 247 trauma-exposed participants. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to determine the underlying factor structure of both PTSD and anger by examining anger in the context of three models of PTSD. Results indicate that a five-factor representation of PTSD and one-factor representation of anger fit the data best. Additionally, anger demonstrated a strong relationship with the dysphoric arousal and negative alterations in cognitions and mood (NACM) factors; and dysphoric arousal was differentially related to anger. Clinical implications include potential need to reevaluate PTSD's diagnostic symptom structure and highlight the potential need to target and treat comorbid anger in individuals with PTSD. In regard to research, these results support the heterogeneity of PTSD.

Keywords: Anger; DSM-5; Dysphoric arousal; Posttraumatic stress disorder.

MeSH terms

Adult
Anger* / physiology
Arousal / physiology
Comorbidity
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders*
Female
Humans
Male
Mood Disorders / diagnosis
Mood Disorders / psychology
Self Report*
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / diagnosis*
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / psychology*
Young Adult