TRACE: A Trauma-Specific Six-Dimensional Framework
Authors: Adam Hafez, Zat+ Research Team Version: 1.0.0 — DRAFT Status: pre-build License: CC-BY 4.0
Abstract
TRACE is the Zat+ companion for trauma-response instruments where SPIRAL's symptom-burden assumptions miss the unique features of trauma: re-experiencing, avoidance, dissociation, hyperarousal, post-traumatic growth, and meaning-reconstruction. Targets PCL-5, PDS-5, IES-R, ACE, CTQ, DES-II.
1. Background
DSM-5 PTSD criteria capture symptom clusters but miss strengths (post-traumatic growth, Tedeschi & Calhoun 1996), narrative integration, and dissociative spectrum (Brand et al. 2016). The ICD-11 added Complex PTSD (Cloitre et al. 2018), reflecting newer empirical clusters not fully covered by PCL-5 alone.
2. Specification
2.1 Dimensions
| Code | Name | Direction | Operationalization |
|---|---|---|---|
| T | Triggers (re-experiencing) | deficit | PCL-5 cluster B |
| R | Retreat (avoidance) | deficit | PCL-5 cluster C |
| A | Arousal (hyperarousal) | deficit | PCL-5 cluster D-E |
| C | Coherence (narrative integration) | strength | Meaning-making after trauma |
| E | Emergence (post-traumatic growth) | strength | PTGI-SF derived |
(5 letters; 6th below)
2.2 Sixth dimension — Dissociation (D)
Dissociative spectrum from DES-II / SDQ-20. Acronym TRACE-D.
2.3 Composite Index
Wellbeing direction. Deficits inverted.
TRACE_Index = round(
(100 − T) × 0.18 +
(100 − R) × 0.16 +
(100 − A) × 0.18 +
C × 0.16 +
E × 0.16 +
(100 − D) × 0.16
)
2.4 Norms
PCL-5 cutoff ≥ 33 for probable PTSD (Bovin et al. 2016, N=926). DES-II cutoff ≥ 30 for dissociative pathology (Carlson & Putnam 1993).
3. Comparison
| Property | DSM-5 PTSD | ICD-11 cPTSD | PCL-5 alone | TRACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Re-experiencing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Post-traumatic growth | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dissociation | partial | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Narrative coherence | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Lay-readable | ✗ | ✗ | partial | ✓ |
| Crisis-aware | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ via CRISIS layer |
4. Limitations & Roadmap
- Coherence (C) requires self-narrative free-text — initial version uses single Likert.
- Complex PTSD's "self-organization disturbance" cluster maps loosely to Coherence + Emergence; full ITQ-derived sub-scale planned v1.1.
References
- Weathers, F. W., et al. (2013). The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). National Center for PTSD.
- Bovin, M. J., et al. (2016). Psychometric properties of the PCL-5 in veterans. Psychological Assessment, 28(11), 1379-1391.
- Cloitre, M., et al. (2018). The International Trauma Questionnaire: Development of a self-report measure of ICD-11 PTSD and Complex PTSD. Acta Psychiatr Scand, 138(6), 536-546.
- Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (1996). The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory. J Trauma Stress, 9(3), 455-471.
- Carlson, E. B., & Putnam, F. W. (1993). An update on the Dissociative Experiences Scale. Dissociation, 6(1), 16-27.