Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) was introduced in the ICD-11 as a new diagnosis and was framed
in accordance with WHO guidelines of clinical utility and cross-cultural applicability. CPTSD diagnosis comprises
PTSD symptoms in addition to specific symptoms related to the organization of the self (DSO). Cross-cultural
validity of the DSO symptoms is still being debated as cultural norms significantly influence how individuals
perceive themselves and manage their emotions and relationships. The aim of this systematic review was to
understand how PTSD and DSO symptoms were experienced and expressed by individuals from Sub-Saharan
Africa (SSA) by exploring qualitative literature. Searches were conducted on nine databases using search
terms for countries, methods, symptoms, and trauma exposure. Fifty studies were included. Results confirmed the
presence of the three DSO clusters. However, their manifestation differed significantly from the defined diagnostic
criteria, highlighting the importance of considering cultural factors in the diagnostic process. Additionally,
the review indicated that structural factors played significant roles in shaping the interpretation of traumarelated
distress in this cultural context. Thus, we propose to create and implement a cultural module as an
add on to the actual CPTSD assessment tools to account for cultural and structural variations in the SSA population
and improve diagnosis accuracy. In this perspective, more emic research is needed to gain a deeper
understanding of how trauma-related distress is perceived, experienced, and interpreted in SSA.