Epidemiology of Psychological Trauma and Traumatic Stress Disorders

The epidemiology of postrraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the study of how PTSD occurs in large populations. This chapter describes the methods and results of many epidemiology studies on PTSD, including studies conducted not only in the USA but also in many other areas of the world, with entire nations or special sub-groups. The result is a growing understanding of when and to whom PTSD occurs (the “incidence”) and how common or rare PTSD is for people of different backgrounds and characteristics (the “prevalence”). Research on the incidence and prevalence of exposure to psychological trauma, traumatic stress disorders and comorbid psychiatric/addictive disorders and sociovocational and legal problems among children and adults are summarized. Differences in the extent and nature of trauma exposure and PTSD are highlighted across community, clinical (mental health), medical and criminal justice (juvenile and adult) populations.