Everyone who experiences a traumatic event may not develop PTSD. However, there may be additional factors that increase the risk for PTSD following traumatic exposure. Previous studies have identified a number of factors that increase risk for PTSD across the genders, including:
- Pre-existing mental health problems (e.g., depression or anxiety disorder)
- Severity of the event
- Type of event
- Extent to which the event involved injury
- Less functional coping styles and low stress tolerance
- Prior trauma exposure
- Dissociation during the event
- Additional life stressors
- Quality of available social support