Predictors of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Symptoms in Adults: A Meta-Analysis

A review of 2,647 studies of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) yielded 476 potential candidates for a meta-analysis of predictors of PTSD or of its symptoms. From these, 68 studies met criteria for inclusion in a meta-analysis of 7 predictors: (a) prior trauma, (b) prior psychological adjustment,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychological trauma 2008-08, Vol.S (1), p.3-36
Main Authors: Ozer, Emily J, Best, Suzanne R, Lipsey, Tami L, Weiss, Daniel S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Human
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Risk Factors
Symptoms
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Summary:A review of 2,647 studies of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) yielded 476 potential candidates for a meta-analysis of predictors of PTSD or of its symptoms. From these, 68 studies met criteria for inclusion in a meta-analysis of 7 predictors: (a) prior trauma, (b) prior psychological adjustment, (c) family history of psychopathology, (d) perceived life threat during the trauma, (e) posttrauma social support, (f) peritraumatic emotional responses, and (g) peritraumatic dissociation. All yielded significant effect sizes, with family history, prior trauma, and prior adjustment the smallest (weighted r = .17) and peritraumatic dissociation the largest (weighted r = .35). The results suggest that peritraumatic psychological processes, not prior characteristics, are the strongest predictors of PTSD.
ISSN:1942-9681
1942-969X
DOI:10.1037/1942-9681.S.1.3