Dynamic networks of complex posttraumatic stress disorder and depression among college students with childhood trauma: insights from cross-sectional and cross-lagged panel network analysis

Background and Objective: There is a current research gap regarding the symptom structure and underlying causal relationships between complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) and depressive symptoms. This longitudinal study used a cross-sectional network and cross-lag panel network (CLPN) to examine how CPTSD and depression symptoms interact over time in Chinese college students with childhood trauma. Methods: From 18,933 college students who took part in 2 surveys 12 months apart, 4006 participants (mean age: 20.07 ± 2.04) who reported childhood trauma were screened. Within this sample, there were 2354 (58.8%) males and 1652 (41.2%) females. Results: In the one-year interval CLPN model, it was found that depressive symptoms may precede other symptoms. Specifically, negative emotions and negative self-evaluations are more likely to predict subsequent symptoms. Conversely, in CPTSD, symptoms related to fear and anxiety, such as avoidance, intrusion, and hyperarousal, are more frequently activated by other symptoms, including negative emotions Conclusions: This finding offers a novel perspective on the interplay between CPTSD and depression, extending the existing theory. From a clinical standpoint, the points of intervention for comorbidity between depression and CPTSD who have experienced childhood trauma differ across different stages. This study used network analysis to examine the evolving symptom structure of complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) and depression, as well as the relationships between symptoms, in a large-scale longitudinal study among college students who have experienced childhood trauma.Symptoms such as emotional dysregulation and negative self-concept serve as stable central symptoms of both CPTSD and depression.Depression, tends to activate other symptoms, whereas CPTSD, is more frequently predicted by other symptoms. This study used network analysis to examine the evolving symptom structure of complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) and depression, as well as the relationships between symptoms, in a large-scale longitudinal study among college students who have experienced childhood trauma. Symptoms such as emotional dysregulation and negative self-concept serve as stable central symptoms of both CPTSD and depression. Depression, tends to activate other symptoms, whereas CPTSD, is more frequently predicted by other symptoms.