University of Groningen Latent Classes of DSM-5 Acute Stress Disorder Symptoms in Children after Single Incident Trauma Lenferink,

Background: After a potentially traumatic event (PTE), children often show symptoms of acute stress disorder (ASD), which may evolve into posttraumatic stress (PTS) disorder. A growing body of literature has employed latent class analysis (LCA) to disentangle the complex structure underlying PTS symptomatology, distinguishing between homogeneous subgroups based on PTS presentations. So far, little is known about subgroups or classes of ASD reactions in trauma-exposed children. Objective: Our study aimed to identify latent classes of ASD symptoms in children exposed to a single-incident PTE and to identify predictors of class membership (gender, age, cultural background, parental education, trauma type, and trauma history). Method: A sample of 2287 children and adolescents (5–18 years) was derived from the Prospective studies of Acute Child Trauma and Recovery (PACT/R) Data Archive, an international archive including studies from the USA, UK, Australia, and Switzerland. LCA was used to determine distinct subgroups based on ASD symptoms. Predictors of class membership were examined using a three-step approach. Results: Our LCA yielded a three-class solution: low (42%), intermediate (43%) and high (15%) ASD symptom severity that differed in terms of impairment and number of endorsed ASD symptoms. Compared to the low symptoms class, children in the intermediate or high severity class were more likely to be of female gender, be younger of age, have parents who had not completed secondary education, and be exposed to a road traffic accident or interpersonal violence (vs. an unintentional injury). Conclusions: These findings provide new information on children at risk for ASD after single-incident trauma, based on a unique set of international data. Classifying children based on latent symptom profiles helps to identify target groups for prevention and intervention after exposure to a PTE. Clases latentes de los síntomas del trastorno de estrés agudo del DSM5 en niños después de un incidente traumático único: hallazgos de un Archivo Internacional de Datos Antecedentes: después de un evento potencialmente traumático (EPT), los niños a menudo muestran síntomas de trastorno de estrés agudo (TEA), el cual, puede evolucionar a un trastorno de estrés postraumático (TEPT). Un creciente cuerpo de literatura ha empleado el análisis de clase latente (LCA por sus siglas en ingles) para desenredar la compleja estructura subyacente a la sintomatología de TEPT, distinguiendo entre subgrupos homogéneos basados en presentaciones de TEPT. Hasta ahora, se sabe poco sobre los subgrupos o clases de reacciones TEA en niños expuestos a traumas. Objetivo: Nuestro estudio tuvo como objetivo identificar clases latentes de síntomas de TEA en niños expuestos a un solo incidente de EPT e identificar predictores de pertenencia a la clase (género, edad, antecedentes culturales, educación de los padres, tipo de trauma e historial de trauma). Método: se obtuvo una muestra de 2287 niños y adolescentes (5–18 años) de los estudios Prospectivos del Archivo de Datos de recuperación y Trauma Infantil agudo (PACT/R, en sus siglas en inglés), un archivo internacional que incluye estudios de Estados Unidos, Reino ARTICLE HISTORY Received 9 October 2019 Revised 17 December 2019 Accepted 19 December 2019