Reports in recent literature regarding PTSD note that: 1) defining symptoms do not always accompany exposure to a potentially traumatic event and 2) symptoms are often observed in the absence of experience with traumatic events. The question arises: is manifesting PTSD symptoms principally a function of experiencing traumatic events or of unrelated psychosocial characteristics.

Data on three sets of variables [PTSD symptoms (Intrusive Experiences and Defensive Avoidance), potentially traumatic experiences (victim of assault, witness of assault, experiencing domestic violence, experiencing interpersonal loss, injured in an accident) and psychosocial characteristics (availability of adult confidant, sense of personal efficacy, emotional reactivity)] were collected by questionnaire from a community sample of 416 older adolescents age 18. Data were analyzed by hierarchical regression procedures.

11% of the sample reported “clinically significant” levels of PTSD symptoms. Each of the trauma and psychosocial variables was significantly correlated with PTSD symptoms. A multiple R of .58 was obtained between the eight independent variables and level of symptoms, accounting for 33% of the variance in symptoms: trauma independently accounted for 8% of the variance in symptoms, psychosocial characteristics independently accounted for 19% of the variance in symptoms, and overlapping influences of trauma and psychosocial characteristics accounted for 6% of the variance in symptoms.

Although manifesting PTSD symptoms is related to exposure to potentially traumatic events, it appears to be primarily a function of psychosocial characteristics, not of exposure to traumatic events.