Table 2.
Lifetime and past-month DSM-5 PTSD prevalence and mean PCL-5 scores (symptom severity), in full sample and by type of worst trauma, among 33,327 women in the Nurses’ Health Study II PTSD sub-study.a
| Lifetime PTSD | Past-month PTSD | Mean past-month PCL-5 score (0-80) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % (n) | % (n) | Mean (SD) | |
| In full sample (n=33,327) | 8.7 (2886) | 1.2 (415) | 2.8 (6.1) |
| Among those with trauma (n=27,382) | 10.5 (2886) | 1.5 (415) | 3.4 (6.6) |
| Interpersonal/sexual violence (overall) | 16.8 (970) | 2.0 (115) | 4.5 (7.3) |
| Beaten by caregiver in childhood | 20.0 (257) | 2.7(35) | 5.9 (8.4) |
| Attacked/beaten/mugged | 16.7 (176) | 2.0 (21) | 4.1 (7.3) |
| Unwanted sexual contact | 17.2 (511) | 1.9 (55) | 4.4 (7.0) |
| Sexual harassment at work | 5.5 (26) | 0.8 (4) | 1.9 (4.7) |
| Accident/disaster (overall) | 4.8 (149) | 0.8 (24) | 2.2 (4.9) |
| Serious accident (e.g., transportation) | 5.2 (98) | 1.0 (18) | 2.5 (5.3) |
| Natural or human-made disaster (e.g., fire) | 4.1 (51) | 0.5 (6) | 1.9 (4.3) |
| Sudden/unexpected death (overall) | 8.3 (647) | 1.2 (97) | 2.6 (5.7) |
| Miscarriage | 2.9 (78) | 0.3 (7) | 0.9 (3.2) |
| Death of one’s child | 20.3 (239) | 3.7 (43) | 6.1 (8.2) |
| Sudden/violent death of one’s family member | 8.4 (330) | 1.2 (47) | 2.7 (5.6) |
| Illness/injury (overall) | 6.4 (319) | 1.0 (49) | 3.0 (6.0) |
| Serious illness (e.g., cancer) | 5.4 (185) | 0.8 (29) | 3.1 (5.7) |
| Pregnancy complications | 5.6 (55) | 0.5 (5) | 1.8 (5) |
| Other injury or fear of being injured/killed | 13.4 (79) | 2.5 (15) | 4.5 (8) |
| Nursing-related trauma (overall) | 3.4 (55) | 0.4 (6) | 1.3 (4.2) |
| Served in war zone | 12.2 (16) | 1.5 (2) | 4.0 (8.2) |
| Treated civilians with traumatic injuries | 2.6 (39) | 0.3 (4) | 1.0 (3.5) |
| Witnessing traumatic event | 7.2 (82) | 0.7 (8) | 2.4 (5.4) |
| Other type of event | 22.4 (664) | 3.9 (116) | 6.8 (9.3) |
Bolded rows refer to the marginal totals of each group of event types. DSM-5 PTSD = posttraumatic stress disorder defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Version 5. PCL-5 = posttraumatic stress disorder check list for the DSM-5. 0.5% of participants with trauma did not endorse any PTSD symptoms and also did not click “none of the above” under the list of symptoms; they were coded as having no symptoms as long as they continued to the rest of the survey. Up to 0.5% (varies by symptom) of participants who endorsed one or more lifetime PTSD symptoms left the corresponding past-month symptom severity question blank; they were coded as “not at all” for that symptom’s past-month severity.