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The question of why only some people with a traumatic experience (TE) develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remains unanswered. To see whether histories of different kinds of TE explain this, researchers used WHO interview and survey data from 20 low-, middle-, and high-income countries.
Most respondents (70%; N=34,676; mean age, 44) reported lifetime TEs (mean, 4.5). People who reported being subjected to physical violence were more likely to develop PTSD after another similar TE; those who had previously participated in organized violence (e.g., on the battlefield) had a lower risk for PTSD after a later similar TE. Being kidnapped, witnessing atrocities, and experiencing sexual violence were significantly more likely than other in…