Stressful experiences are associated with greater PTSD and depression symptoms

Abstract

There has been extensive research conducted on how stressful events and traumas are associated with depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms. However, very little research has investigated the association between exposure to stressful events/traumas and depressive and post-traumatic symptoms in a healthy, nonclinical population of adults. Our study examined relationships between exposure to stressful events/traumas, posttraumatic stress, and depression symptoms in a healthy, nonclinical sample of adults. While participants did not meet diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression, our results suggest a positive relationship between the number of different lifetime stressful events/traumas reported and both depressive and post-traumatic stress symptoms. These findings suggest that people who experience a greater variety of different stressful events/traumas during their lives report greater depressive and post-traumatic stress symptoms in response to those events.