From Trauma to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Identification of the Risk Factors

People encounter various traumatic events throughout their lives. However, most people can cope with these stressful life events in different ways without experiencing any long-term mental problems. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a chronic and important psychiatric disorder that develops in a small number of people as a result of short or long-term exposure to one or more traumatic events and affects the life of an individual. For this reason, it is important to identify people at risk for the development of PTSD and to apply appropriate intervention methods for these people to prevent the disability caused by PTSD. In this review article, the factors that lead to the risk of developing PTSD in individuals exposed to trauma are discussed in light of current information in the literature.