The Perceived Informal Support Questionnaire: Validation and Clinical Correlates in People with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms

Abstract

Purpose: This study developed and validated a novel measure that captures the diverse positive experiences related to perceived informal support. We also examined its cross-sectional and longitudinal correlates in people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Method: We analyzed data from an international clinical trial. Participants with PTSD symptoms completed assessments at baseline (N = 230) and after 1 month (N = 80). Results: The 34-item Perceived Informal Support Questionnaire (PISQ) had a two-factor structure, was internally consistent, and showed convergent validity with a general measure of social support. Additionally, baseline emotional support predicted fewer depressive symptoms (β = -.356, p = .015) and lower levels of impairments (β = -.271, p = .018) at 1-month follow-up. Discussion: This study offers a novel measure that captures the diverse experiences related to perceived informal support. It also highlights the importance of involving and supporting caregivers of individuals with mental health struggles, specifically PTSD symptoms.

Keywords

complex post-traumatic stress disorder (complex PTSD)social support caregiver scale development social psychiatry

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Bisson

J. I.

(2009). Psychological and social theories of post-traumatic stress disorder. Psychiatry, 8(8), 290–292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mppsy.2009.05.003

Cloitre

Cohen

L. R.

Ortigo

K. M.

Jackson

Koenen

K. C.

(2020). Treating survivors of childhood abuse and interpersonal trauma: STAIR Narrative Therapy (2nd ed.). The Guilford Press.

Cloitre

Hyland

Bisson

J. I.

Brewin

C. R.

Roberts

N. P.

Karatzias

Shevlin

(2019). ICD-11 posttraumatic stress disorder and complex posttraumatic stress disorder in the United States: A population-based study. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 32(6), 833–842. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22454

Cloitre

Hyland

Prins

Shevlin

(2021). The International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) measures reliable and clinically significant treatment-related change in PTSD and complex PTSD. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 12(1), 1930961. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2021.193 0961

Cloitre

Shevlin

Brewin

C. R.

Bisson

J. I.

Roberts

N. P.

Maercker

Karatzias

Hyland

(2018). The International Trauma Questionnaire: Development of a self-report measure of ICD-11 PTSD and complex PTSD. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 138(6), 536–546. https://doi.org/10.1111/acps.12956

Cohen

(1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Dewar

Paradis

Fortin

C. A.

(2020). Identifying trajectories and predictors of response to psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder in adults: A systematic review of literature. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 65(2), 71–86. https://doi.org/10.1177/0706743719875602

Floyd

F. J.

Widaman

K. F.

(1995). Factor analysis in the development and refinement of clinical assessment instruments. Psychological Assessment, 7(3), 286–299. https://doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.7.3.286

Fonzo

G. A.

Federchenco

Lara

(2020). Predicting and managing treatment non-response in posttraumatic stress disorder. Current Treatment Options in Psychiatry, 7, 70–87. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40501-020-00203-1

10.

Fung

H. W.

Chien

W. T.

Ling

H. W. H.

Ross

C. A.

Lam

S. K. K.

(2022). The mediating role of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in the relationship between childhood adversities and depressive symptoms in two samples. Child Abuse and Neglect, 131, 105707. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105707

11.

Fung

H. W.

Wong

E. N. M.

Lam

S. K. K.

Chien

W. T.

Hung

S. L.

Ross

C. A.

Cloitre

(2022). Prevalence and sociocultural correlates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD among Chinese community health service users in Hong Kong. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 69(4), 895–905. https://doi.org/10.1177/00207640221141018

12.

Gariépy

Honkaniemi

Quesnel-Vallée

(2016). Social support and protection from depression: Systematic review of current findings in Western countries. British Journal of Psychiatry, 209(4), 284–293. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.115.169094

13.

Goldberg

L. R.

Freyd

J. J.

(2006). Self-reports of potentially traumatic experiences in an adult community sample: Gender differences and test-retest stabilities of the items in a brief betrayal-trauma survey. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 7(3), 39–63. https://doi.org/10.1300/J229v07n03_04

14.

Herman

J. L.

(1992). Trauma and recovery. Basic Books.

15.

G. W.

Karatzias

Cloitre

Chan

A. C.

Bressington

Chien

W. T.

Hyland

Shevlin

(2019). Translation and validation of the Chinese ICD-11 International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) for the assessment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex PTSD (CPTSD). European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 10(1), 1608718. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2019.1608718

16.

Jansson-Fröjmark

(2014). The Work and Social Adjustment Scale as a measure of dysfunction in chronic insomnia: Reliability and validity. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 42(2), 186–198. https://doi.org/10.1017/S135246581200104X

17.

Kazarian

S. S.

McCabe

S. B.

(1991). Dimensions of social support in the MSPSS: Factorial structure, reliability, and theoretical implications. Journal of Community Psychology, 19(2), 150–160. https://doi.org/10.1002/1520-6629(199104)19:2<150::AID-JCOP2290190206>3.0.CO;2-J

18.

Kroenke

Spitzer

R. L.

(2002). The PHQ-9: A new depression diagnostic and severity measure. Psychiatric Annals, 32(9), 509–515. https://doi.org/10.3928/0048-5713-20020901-06

19.

Kvedaraite

Gelezelyte

Kairyte

Roberts

N. P.

Kazlauskas

(2022). Trauma exposure and factors associated with ICD-11 PTSD and complex PTSD in the Lithuanian general population. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 68(8), 1727–1736. https://doi.org/10.1177/00207640211057720

20.

Lam

S. K. K.

A. S. Y.

Zhou

C. R.

Hung

S. L.

Fung

H. W.

(2023). Persistence and psychological predictors of ICD-11 complex PTSD: A six-month longitudinal study in Hong Kong. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/15325024.2023.2267433

21.

Lewis

Roberts

N. P.

Gibson

Bisson

J. I.

(2020). Dropout from psychological therapies for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults: Systematic review and meta-analysis. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 11(1), 1709709. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2019.1709709

22.

Mahoney

Karatzias

Hutton

(2019). A systematic review and meta-analysis of group treatments for adults with symptoms associated with complex post-traumatic stress disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, 243, 305–321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.09.059

23.

Manea

Gilbody

Hewitt

North

Plummer

Richardson

Thombs

B. D.

Williams

McMillan

(2016). Identifying depression with the PHQ-2: A diagnostic meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 203, 382–395. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.06.003

24.

Mundt

J. C.

Marks

I. M.

Shear

M. K.

Greist

J. M.

(2002). The Work and Social Adjustment Scale: A simple measure of impairment in functioning. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 180(5), 461–464. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.180.5.461

25.

Osborne

J. W.

Costello

A. B.

Kellow

J. T.

(2008). Best practices in exploratory factor analysis. In Osborne

(Ed.), Best practices in quantitative methods (pp. 86–100). Sage Publications, Inc. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412995627

26.

B. S. K.

Lam

S. K. K.

Chen

Y. J.

Chien

W. T.

Wong

E. N. M.

Wang

E. K. S.

Fung

H. W.

(2023). Persistence and outcomes of ICD-11 complex PTSD in the community: A nine-month longitudinal investigation in Hong Kong. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 87, 103696. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2023.103696

27.

Shepherd-Banigan

M. E.

Shapiro

McDuffie

J. R.

Brancu

Sperber

N. R.

Van Houtven

C. H.

Kosinski

A. S.

Mehta

N. N.

Nagi

Williams

J. W.

(2018). Interventions that support or involve caregivers or families of patients with traumatic injury: A systematic review. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 33, 1177–1186. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-018-4417-7

28.

Wang

Chung

M. C.

Wang

Kenardy

(2021). Social support and posttraumatic stress disorder: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Clinical Psychology Review, 85, 101998. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2021.101998

29.

Zimet

G. D.

Dahlem

N. W.

Zimet

S. G.

Farley

G. K.

(1988). The multidimensional scale of perceived social support. Journal of Personality Assessment, 52(1), 30–41. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa5201_2