What Kinds of Trauma Heighten Risk for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?

Repeated experiences of being subjected to physical violence increased the risk, whereas repeated experiences of participating in organized violence decreased it.

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…

Reviewing Author

Steven Dubovsky, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportTower Foundation; Patrick Lee Foundation; Boehringer Ingelheim; Intra-Cellular Therapies; Janssen; Biogen; Allergan

Editorial BoardsMind and Brain; Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic; Current Psychiatry; Journal of Psychosomatic Research

Steven Dubovsky, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportTower Foundation; Patrick Lee Foundation; Boehringer Ingelheim; Intra-Cellular Therapies; Janssen; Biogen; Allergan

Editorial BoardsMind and Brain; Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic; Current Psychiatry; Journal of Psychosomatic Research

What Kinds of Trauma Heighten Risk for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?

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Reviewing Author