Designing a Model of Relationship between Traumatic Experiencess and PTSD and Complex PTSD in Traumatized Women and Girls by Mediating Role of Mentalization and Emotional Processing

The World Health Organization recently released the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases with the inclusion of Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD). ICD-11 construed CPTSD as a disorder comprising of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and disturbance of self-organization (DSO) domains. Despite the growing research on the study of this diagnostic class, to date no research has been done on the symptoms and risk factors for this disorder in Iran. The present study was conducted to identify the signs and risk factors in the form of mediating variables (mentalization and emotional processing). In this study, cross-sectional descriptive research design and correlational research modeling with path analysis were used. Sampling was done from 17 to 60 years traumatized women and girls and the International Trauma Questionnaire, Checklist of Traumatic Experiences, Mentalization Scale and Emotional Processing Scale were completed. Data were analyzed using SPSS-26 and AMOS-24 software. The results showed that mentalization and emotional processing have a significant mediating role in the relationship between traumatic experiences and PTSD and CPTSD. As a result given the role of mentalization and emotional processing in the relationship between traumatic experiences and PTSD and CPTSD, training in emotion regulation processes and strengthening mentalization skills can be effective in preventing these two disorders and raising the level of adjustment.