Peritraumatic dissociation in the structure of clinical markers of posttraumatic stress disorder in conditions of comorbidity

Peritraumatic dissociation in the structure of clinical markers of posttraumatic stress disorder in conditions of comorbidity

 

Authors

 

A.V. Didenko

Mental Health Research Institute, Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russian Federation; Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “Siberian State Medical University” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Tomsk, Russian Federation

T.V. Kazennykh

Mental Health Research Institute, Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russian Federation; Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “Siberian State Medical University” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Tomsk, Russian Federation

V.S. Maltsev

Mental Health Research Institute, Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russian Federation

A.K. Kostin

Mental Health Research Institute, Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russian Federation

O.K. Alenina

Mental Health Research Institute, Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russian Federation

K.M. Koval

Mental Health Research Institute, Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russian Federation

 

https://doi.org/10.26617/1810-3111-2026-1(130)-87-95

 

Journal: Siberian Herald of Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry. 2026; 1 (130):  87-95.

 

Abstract

Relevance. Peritraumatic dissociative symptoms are a significant risk factor for the subsequent development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The functional significance of these symptoms is considered in terms of the individual's protective response to the impact of an intense traumatic event (threat to life and health, violence, humiliation, loss, etc.). Dissociation during a traumatic experience, while providing a short-term escape from painful experiences, is also a risk factor for subsequent chronic post-traumatic stress disorders due to disruption of the cognitive, emotional, and personal processing of the traumatic event. Prolonged dissociative symptoms can be considered a specific clinical variant of PTSD. The use of peritraumatic dissociation indicators as a marker of PTSD severity is clinically significant and practically useful, given its high comorbidity with other mental disorders. Objective: to assess the intensity of peritraumatic dissociation manifestations in the context of relationships with the severity of clinical manifestations of PTSD and comorbidity with other mental disorders. Material. The study was conducted at the Borderline States Department of the Mental Health Research Institute, Tomsk National Research Medical Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The study included male participants of the Special Military Operation (n=52) aged 22 to 55 years (mean age 38.2±8.9 years), who voluntarily sought and underwent inpatient treatment for PTSD comorbid with other mental disorders (ICD-10 criteria). Methods: clinical, psychopathological, psychometric methods with the use of the Mississippi Scale for Combat-Related PTSD (M-PTSD) to assess the severity of PTSD and the peritraumatic dissociation questionnaire to assess situational dissociative states; statistical methods with the use of nonparametric indicators. Results and Discussion. Peritraumatic dissociation and the severity of clinical manifestations of PTSD in the context of comorbidity are in a reciprocal relationship: the most severe manifestations of PTSD and low rates of peritraumatic dissociation are characterized by the inclusion of comorbid affective and anxiety disorders in the clinical picture, while a higher level of peritraumatic dissociation is characteristic of clinical manifestations of PTSD comorbid with organic mental disorders. Conclusion. A decrease or increase in the intensity of peritraumatic dissociation may be associated with the influence of comorbid mental pathology, mediated through the cognitive sphere of the personality. The use of peritraumatic dissociation indicators as a prognostic marker of the clinical dynamics of PTSD severity requires the inclusion of additional psychometric indicators and objective anamnestic information in the clinical diagnostic plan.

 

Keywords: posttraumatic stress disorder, peritraumatic dissociation, comorbidity, participants in special military operations.

 

Article (pdf)

 

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Materials  

For citation: Didenko A.V., Kazennykh T.V., Maltsev V.S., Kostin A.K., Alenina O.K., Koval K.M. Peritraumatic dissociation in the structure of clinical markers of posttraumatic stress disorder in conditions of comorbidity. Siberian Herald of Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry.2026, 1 (130): 87-95. https://doi.org/10.26617/1810-3111-2026-1(130)-87-95

 

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