Longitudinal Factor Structure of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Related to Intimate Partner Violence

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) studies have suggested that a model of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that is characterized by 4 factors is preferable to competing models. However, the composition of these 4 factors has varied across studies, with 1 model splitting avoidance and numbing symptoms (e.g., D. W. King, G. A. Leskin, L. A. King, & F. W. Weathers, 1998 ) and the other including a dysphoria factor that combines numbing and nonspecific hyperarousal symptoms ( L. J. Simms, D. Watson, & B. N. Doebbeling, 2002 ). Using the PTSD Checklist ( F. W. Weathers, B. T. Litz, D. S. Herman, J. A. Huska, & T. M. Keane, 1993 ) and CFA, the authors compared these models with competing models. A model of PTSD with 4 intercorrelated factors of Intrusions, Avoidance, Dysphoria, and Hyperarousal was found superior among 396 medical patients who screened positive for intimate partner violence (IPV) and 405 women seeking services for IPV. Structural invariance testing indicated that this 4-factor model remains stable across service setting and time.