. An abusive relationship, regardless how long term, is not what causes CPTSD if your childhood itself fell within the normal realms of growth.
Sorry to disagree with you here, Anthony, but there is a plethora of information from reputable places - the National Center for PTSD (US Dept of Veteran Affairs), Matthew Tull, PhD (who does research on anxiety disorders particularly PTSD and is an assistant professor and director of anxiety disorders research in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson), and 'PTSD for Dummies' (a book that is recommended here on this site) - and even some not so reputable places (Wikipaedia) that state that C-PTSD arises from prolonged trauma, but it is not exclusive to people who were abused as children. I would also disagree that one requires an abusive childhood to end up in a place where you have no sense of self or trust as an adult.
I have been diagnosed with C-PTSD from events that occurred in my late teens and adult-hood. I have been presented with this diagnosis from two psychiatrists. One of these has worked with long-term effects from sexual assault for 20 years, and war veterans for ten years. The other is connected to the PTSD program at St John of God Hospital.
From Wiki: Adults with C-PTSD have
sometimes experienced prolonged interpersonal traumatization as children as well as prolonged trauma as adults (my emphasis - it suggests that not all adults with C-PTSD got it from childhood trauma)
definition from Dr Tull: chronic, repeated, or long-lasting traumatic events, such as childhood sexual and/or physical abuse, domestic violence, or captivity (such as being in a prisoner of war camp).
Definition from 'PTSD for Dummies': C-PTSD can occur when people suffer repeated traumas, particularly when those traumas occur at the hands of another person. It's especially likely to occur if these traumas occur in childhood and involve vicious acts by others (such as torture) or abuse by a close friend or family member.
Sources of trauma that can lead to C-PTSD from the VA website:
Concentration camps
Prisoner of War camps
Prostitution brothels
Long-term domestic violence
Long-term, severe physical abuse
Child sexual abuse
Organized child exploitation rings
Sources of trauma that can lead to C-PTSD from Dr Tull:
The traumatic events connected to Complex PTSD are long-lasting and generally involve some form of physical or emotional captivity, such as childhood sexual and/or physical abuse or domestic violence. In these types of events, a victim is under the control of another person and does not have the ability to easily escape.
Sources of trauma that can lead to C-PTSD from Wiki:
sexual abuse (especially child sexual abuse), physical abuse, emotional abuse, domestic violence, torture and violations of personal boundaries such as serial intimate betrayals that are discovered and denied—known as gaslighting. In situations of protracted home care of a violent, mentally ill relative or disaster workers and carers for victims of a long running natural disaster like a Tsunami, without a viable escape route, each may later develop C-PTSD as a result of prolonged exposure to traumatic stress.
Sources of trauma that can lead to C-PTSD from 'PTSD for Dummies':
Childhood sexual or physical abuse or extreme neglect
Urban violence
Chronic abuse at the hands of a spouse or partner
War-related traumas including torture
