Transdiagnostic Posttraumatic Symptom Systems Across Trauma-Exposure Patterns in a Large International Sample: From Network Structure to Stability and Simulated Perturbations
Abstract
Background: Potentially traumatic events (PTEs) are highly prevalent, yet post-traumatic trajectories are heterogeneous. Trauma frequency and age at first exposure may contribute to this heterogeneity across diagnostic boundaries. Network analysis and recent complex-systems methods provide complementary approaches to examining symptom interactions, symptom- state stability, and responses to targeted perturbations. Method: Global Psychotrauma Screen data from 8,209 trauma-exposed adults residing in 129 countries were analysed across trauma frequency (single vs. multiple/prolonged events) and age at first exposure (childhood vs. adulthood). Transdiagnostic symptom networks were compared using Network Comparison Tests, followed by stability landscape analyses and NodeIdentifyR-informed treatment and prevention perturbations. Results: Multiple/prolonged-event and childhood networks preferentially stabilized high- symptom states. In contrast, the single-event network preferentially stabilized a low-symptom state, whereas the adulthood network showed no preferential phase. Simulated treatment and prevention perturbations produced distinct reorganizations of stability across trauma-exposure patterns. Notably, these differences in system-level stability emerged despite no statistically detectable between-group differences in global strength or network structure. Conclusions: Stability-based properties may therefore complement conventional network comparisons in characterizing heterogeneity in trauma-related psychopathology. From a clinical perspective, some trauma-exposure patterns may be associated with symptom systems that are more prone to persist in high-symptom states, potentially informing hypotheses about differential recovery and vulnerability to symptom escalation. These interpretations require replication in longitudinal and interventional designs.
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BibTeX
@misc{taher2026transdiagnostic,
title = {{Transdiagnostic Posttraumatic Symptom Systems Across Trauma-Exposure Patterns in a Large International Sample: From Network Structure to Stability and Simulated Perturbations}},
author = {Killian Taher and Quentin Facon-Barillot and Chris Hoeboer and Bruno Messina Coimbra and Christian Haag Kristensen and Miranda Olff and Yannick Morvan and Alice Einloft Brunnet},
howpublished = {PsyArXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.31234/osf.io/srq24_v1},
url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/srq24_v1/},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Transdiagnostic Posttraumatic Symptom Systems Across Trauma-Exposure Patterns in a Large International Sample: From Network Structure to Stability and Simulated Perturbations
AU - Killian Taher
AU - Quentin Facon-Barillot
AU - Chris Hoeboer
AU - Bruno Messina Coimbra
AU - Christian Haag Kristensen
AU - Miranda Olff
AU - Yannick Morvan
AU - Alice Einloft Brunnet
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/08
PB - PsyArXiv
DO - 10.31234/osf.io/srq24_v1
UR - https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/srq24_v1/
AB - Background: Potentially traumatic events (PTEs) are highly prevalent, yet post-traumatic trajectories are heterogeneous. Trauma frequency and age at first exposure may contribute to this heterogeneity across diagnostic boundaries. Network analysis and recent complex-systems methods provide complementary approaches to examining symptom interactions, symptom- state stability, and responses to targeted perturbations. Method: Global Psychotrauma Screen data from 8,209 trauma-exposed adults residing in 129 countries were analysed across trauma frequency (single vs. multiple/prolonged events) and age at first exposure (childhood vs. adulthood). Transdiagnostic symptom networks were compared using Network Comparison Tests, followed by stability landscape analyses and NodeIdentifyR-informed treatment and prevention perturbations. Results: Multiple/prolonged-event and childhood networks preferentially stabilized high- symptom states. In contrast, the single-event network preferentially stabilized a low-symptom state, whereas the adulthood network showed no preferential phase. Simulated treatment and prevention perturbations produced distinct reorganizations of stability across trauma-exposure patterns. Notably, these differences in system-level stability emerged despite no statistically detectable between-group differences in global strength or network structure. Conclusions: Stability-based properties may therefore complement conventional network comparisons in characterizing heterogeneity in trauma-related psychopathology. From a clinical perspective, some trauma-exposure patterns may be associated with symptom systems that are more prone to persist in high-symptom states, potentially informing hypotheses about differential recovery and vulnerability to symptom escalation. These interpretations require replication in longitudinal and interventional designs.
ER -