Differences in posttraumatic stress characteristics by duration of exposure to trauma

A questionnaire enquiring about various aspects of the posttraumatic consequences of ongoing exposure to political conflict as compared with those associated with a single exposure to trauma was disseminated to therapists throughout the country. Participants were asked to rank 75 posttraumatic characteristics for their relevance to each trauma type (about the symptom frequency and severity) and item mean scores were compared. The sample consisted of 66 responses valid for analysis. Our findings pinpoint some of the posttraumatic characteristics most salient to ongoing exposure to political conflict and highlight the complexity of the posttraumatic picture observed in these situations. Incorporating these in post trauma assessment tools will allow for the development of standardized, reliable definitions, which in turn will allow for more accurate diagnosis and more effective treatment protocols.