Many studies have examined post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depressive symptoms in adolescents under the background of school bullying, but not their comorbidities and changes over time. This study used random intercept latent transition analysis (RI-LTA) to examine the transitions in comorbid patterns of PTSD and depressive symptoms among 815 adolescents (45.0% boys; Mage-baseline = 13.69, SD = 1.60), who reported their symptoms in a 3-year longitudinal study. Three comorbid patterns were found: low symptoms, predominantly PTSD symptoms, and symptoms of comorbidity. Among these patterns, five trends were found through 3 years: stable low symptoms, stable PTSD symptoms, improving symptoms, worsening symptoms, and an inverted-U pattern. Age, time that parents spend with their child, being an only child, family income and experiencing relational bullying were predictors of these transitions. These suggest that patterns of PTSD and depressive symptoms are heterogeneous and may change over time since trauma events. Developing targeted interventions based on underlying factors through distinct patterns and transitions may help us better optimize and utilize intervention resources to alleviate symptoms from bullying victims.
