Latent profile analysis of the symptoms for posttraumatic stress disorder and psychological resilience in Chinese adolescents experiencing post Covid-19: a quantetative study

This study aimed to identify distinct, person-centered profiles of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and psychological resilience among Chinese adolescents experiencing post-COVID-19, and to explore factors associated with profile membership. A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to May 2023, and a total of 932 adolescents were recruited from Chongqing in China. Participants completed the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C) and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). To assess and control for potential common method bias, the common latent factor (CLF) method was employed within a confirmatory factor analysis framework. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify homogeneous subgroups based on PTSD and resilience scores. Differences in scale scores across the resulting profiles were examined using one-way ANOVA, with post-hoc pairwise comparisons conducted using the Bonferroni correction to control Type I error. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to explore predictors associated with membership in the different latent profiles. Among 932 adolescents experiencing long COVID, PTSD-resilience models showed five latent profiles: "low resilience-medium PTSD" (10.63%), "moderately low resilience-moderately high PTSD" (6.77%), "medium resilience-moderately low PTSD" (27.61%), "moderately high resilience-high PTSD" (30.93%), and "high resilience-low PTSD" (24.06%). Women gender, number of COVID-19 vaccinations, and fear of severe reinfection were significantly associated with profile membership. Our research presents the first report on the intricate coexistence patterns between PTSD and resilience among adolescents, significantly expanding our understanding of the protective factors for adolescent mental health. As a crucial buffering mechanism against PTSD, resilience underscores the urgency for every citizen in the post-pandemic era to identify adolescents who may be at high risk of PTSD and/or exhibit low resilience, and to promptly initiate targeted therapeutic interventions and rehabilitation efforts.