The epidemiology of posttraumatic stress disorder

摘要

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is highly prevalent and has substantial economic and social consequences. In this article, we review the epidemiology of PTSD. We begin by summarizing the evidence about the prevalence and correlates of traumatic event exposure. Next, we discuss the prevalence of PTSD, the conditional probability of PTSD given specific traumatic event exposure, the correlates, and demographic distribution of PTSD, and the trajectory of PTSD over the life course. Lastly, we discuss the consequences of PTSD and the challenges facing this field of research today.