PTSD can Surface Years After the Trauma

PTSD Can Surface Years After Trauma

While a person may not seem emotionally or psychologically troubled in the immediate aftermath of a traumatic event, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can surface up to two years following an event for those with pre-existing emotional or social problems; sometimes stemming from the trauma.

That is the main conclusion of new Geisinger-led research that examined the onset and development of PTSD. The study appears in the electronic edition of the research journal Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology.

Researchers have long-believed that signs of PTSD occur shortly after a traumatic event. Symptoms can include flashbacks, nightmares, sleeping and memory problems, and unexplained family or work difficulties.

Yet the new research by Geisinger Center for Health Research senior investigator Joseph Dr. Boscarino, Ph.D., finds that some people can experience PTSD years after the original trauma.

The findings have long-term implications for today's returning military veterans, Dr. Boscarino said.

"More than 5 million members of the military have served in the Persian Gulf conflicts," Dr. Boscarino said. "This country needs to be prepared to deal with veterans who could be experiencing war-related mental health stress years after combat."

The study found that people with delayed PTSD onset were more likely to have lower self-esteem, have experienced previous negative life events and suffered past traumas - as well as repressing their PTSD symptoms and believing they can just "tough it out" or hope time will heal it.

"PTSD onset … is complex and appears to be related to exposure, individual predispositions, and external factors not directly related to the original traumatic event," the authors wrote.

About the Study
Co-authored by Kent State University social psychologist Richard E. Adams, Ph.D., the study was based on interviews of several thousand New York City residents after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

Some of the key findings:

-- Four percent of those surveyed had delayed onset of PTSD;

-- Women were much more likely to experience PTSD than men;

-- Having depression before the event or during was also a significant risk factor for PTSD.

Grants from the National Institute of Mental Health and Pennsylvania Department of Health supported the research.