The distinction between Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Confirmatory Factor Analyses

Abstract

In response to the establishment of a new bereavement-related diagnostic entity in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorders (DSM-5), named Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder (PCBD), the question arose if PCBD is a distinct from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Prior research on the overlap between PTSD and pathological grief focused on different conceptualizations of grief-related disorders, and has provided mixed findings. Therefore, this study used confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate the factor structure of PTSD and PCBD, and the overlap between the two constructs. Self-reported data from two samples was used. Sample 1 consisted of participants who were bereaved due to the MH17 plane crash (N = 103). Participants in Sample 2 lost a loved one due to traffic accidents (N = 266). For PTSD, the seven factor Hybrid model yielded the best fit. As for PCBD, a three factor model consisting of the factors separation distress, reactive distress and social identity disruption fit the data well. None of the models combining the two disorders fit the data well. Nevertheless, a higher order model combining both aforementioned PCBD and PTSD models exhibited better fit than a unitary model. The findings of this study provide preliminary evidence for PCBD as a distinctive construct. However, replication and further research is necessary for establishing PCBD as an evidence-based diagnostic entity.