Vrije Universiteit Developmental Psychology and Psychopathology Lecture 8 part 2

Overview
- Trauma
- Mental health consequences of trauma
- Predictors for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)


Traumatic events
Exposure to one or more event(s) that involved death or threatened death, actual or
threatened serious injury, or threatened sexual violation.
- Serious car crash
- War
- Disaster
- Intimate Partner Violence

What is a traumatic event according to DSM-5?
- Direct exposure
- Witnessing the trauma
- Learning that a relative or close friend was exposed to a trauma
- Indirect exposure to aversive details of the trauma, usually in the course of
professional duties (e.g., first responders, medics)

But other events may also be traumatic:
- Getting fired from one’s job
- House burnt down during a fire, without being present
- COVID-19
- Etc…
→ but can’t diagnose PTSD formally


- Trauma exposure 60.7 % M, 51.25% F


Mental health problems following trauma
Lifetime prevalence common mental disorders in conflict settings:
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): 30.6%
- Depression: 30.8%




Posttraumatic stress disorder