Within Day Variation in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Clusters

Abstract

Objective: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has four symptom clusters: intrusion, avoidance, negative cognitions/mood, and hyperarousal. Little is known about the extent to which the intensity of the symptom clusters vary from moment-to-moment. Using an ecological momentary assessment methodology, this study examined within day variation in the four PTSD symptom clusters. Methods: Participants with PTSD (N = 78) completed self-report assessments of 18 posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) four times daily for 15 days. Linear mixed models and linear spline models examined how PTSS and each of the four PTSD symptom clusters varied across six daily time-blocks (0700, 1000, 1300, 1600, 1900, 2200). Results: PTSS and each symptom cluster differed across the six time-blocks: PTSS, F(5, 345) = 10.06, p