Longitudinal associations between post-traumatic distress and depressive symptoms following a traumatic event: a test of three models
Abstract
Background: Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are highly co-morbid following a traumatic event. Nevertheless, decisive evidence regarding the direction of the relationship between these clinical entities is missing. Method: The aim of the present study was to examine the nature of this relationship by comparing a synchronous change model (PTSD and depression are time synchronous, possibly stemming from a third common factor) with a demoralization model (i.e. PTSD symptoms causing depression) and a depressogenic model (i.e. depressive symptoms causing PTSD symptoms). Israeli adult victims of single-event traumas ( n =156) were assessed on measures of PTSD and depression at 2, 4 and 12 weeks post-event. Results: A cross-lagged structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis provided results consistent with the synchronous change model and the depressogenic model. Conclusions: Depressive symptoms may play an important role in the development of post-traumatic symptoms.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Researchers have used burnout scales to predict reductions in productivity and people's departure from jobs with volunteer content moderators.
“Just as occupational researchers have used burnout scales to predict reductions in productivity and people's departure from jobs, researchers have done the same with volunteer content moderators [88,162].”
From Measuring the Mental Health of Content Reviewers, a Systematic Review (2025) · cites this paper as [162]
The findings of that ProQoL survey omit compassion satisfaction results for unknown reasons.
“Yet the findings omit compassion satisfaction results for unknown reasons [162].”
From Measuring the Mental Health of Content Reviewers, a Systematic Review (2025) · cites this paper as [162]
Other studies have used research-oriented measures of burnout or some of both.
“Others have used research-oriented measures of burnout [162] or some of both [174].”
From Measuring the Mental Health of Content Reviewers, a Systematic Review (2025) · cites this paper as [162]
Cites
Bonanno, G. A. (2004) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/0003-066x.59.1.20 · Cited by 6,851 · see citing works
Tests for comparing elements of a correlation matrix
Steiger, J. H. (1980) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.87.2.245 · Cited by 4,621 · cited 3× · see citing works
“0], the Comparative Fit Index (CFI ; Bentler, 1990), and the Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA; Steiger, 1980).”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialTripartite model of anxiety and depression: psychometric evidence and taxonomic implications
Clark, L. A., & Watson, D. (1991) · Journal of Abnormal Psychology · doi:10.1037/0021-843x.100.3.316 · Cited by 4,601 · see citing works
Foa, E. B., Cashman, L., Jaycox, L., & Perry, K. (1997) · Psychological Assessment · doi:10.1037/1040-3590.9.4.445 · Cited by 2,709 · see citing works
The Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI): development and validation
Foa, E. B., Ehlers, A., Clark, D. M., Tolin, D. F., & Orsillo, S. M. (1999) · Psychological Assessment · doi:10.1037/1040-3590.11.3.303 · Cited by 1,727 · see citing works
Comorbidity of anxiety and unipolar mood disorders
Mineka, S., Watson, D., & Clark, L. A. (1998) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.49.1.377 · Cited by 1,573 · see citing works
Resick, P. A., Nishith, P., Weaver, T. L., Astin, M. C., & Feuer, C. A. (2002) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-006x.70.4.867 · Cited by 1,294 · see citing works
On structural equation modeling with data that are not missing completely at random
Muthén, B., Kaplan, D., & Hollis, M. (1987) · Psychometrika · doi:10.1007/bf02294365 · Cited by 883 · see citing works
Thinking and Depression: II. Theory and Therapy
BECK, A. T. (1964) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archpsyc.1964.01720240015003 · Cited by 820 · see citing works
Sex differences in posttraumatic stress disorder
Breslau, N. (1997) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archpsyc.1997.01830230082012 · Cited by 783 · see citing works
Post-traumatic stress disorder and depression: An analysis of comorbidity
Bleich, A., Koslowsky, M., Dolev, A., & Lerer, B. (1997) · British Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/bjp.170.5.479 · Cited by 211 · see citing works
Extinction Learning Before Trauma and Subsequent Posttraumatic Stress
Guthrie, R. M., & Bryant, R. A. (2006) · Psychosomatic Medicine · doi:10.1097/01.psy.0000208629.67653.cc · Cited by 198 · see citing works
Hays, R. D., Marshall, G. N., Wang, E. Y. I., & Sherbourne, C. D. (1994) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-006x.62.3.441 · Cited by 182 · see citing works
Depressive episodes–evidence for a causal role of primary anxiety disorders?
Wittchen, H.-U., Beesdo, K., Bittner, A., & Goodwin, R. D. (2003) · European Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.eurpsy.2003.10.001 · Cited by 171 · see citing works
Assessing demoralization and depression in the setting of medical disease
Mangelli, L., Fava, G. A., Grandi, S., Grassi, L., Ottolini, F., Porcelli, P., Rafanelli, C., Rigatelli, M., & Sonino, N. (2005) · The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry · doi:10.4088/jcp.v66n0317 · Cited by 158 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Because of the difficulty of controlling and coping with anxiety symptoms, individuals can feel incompetent and helpless following unsuccessful attempts to control anxiety (Mangelli et al. 2005).”
BackgroundMoffitt, T. E., Harrington, H., Caspi, A., Kim-Cohen, J., Goldberg, D., Gregory, A. M., & Poulton, R. (2007) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archpsyc.64.6.651 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Jacobson, N. C., & Newman, M. G. (2017) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/bul0000111 · Cited by 576 · see citing works
Aderka, I. M., Foa, E. B., Applebaum, E., Shafran, N., & Gilboa-Schechtman, E. (2011) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0023318 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Self-citationNickerson, A., Steenkamp, M., Aerka, I. M., Salters-Pedneault, K., Carper, T. L., Barnes, J. B., & Litz, B. T. (2013) · Depression and Anxiety · doi:10.1002/da.22023 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
“,[17] also using a cross-lagged analysis to investigate symptom change in the first 12 weeks following a singleevent trauma, found evidence to support the two hypotheses that PTSD and depression change simultaneously and that depression predicts subsequent PTSD symptoms.”
The psychological impacts of content moderation on content moderators: A qualitative study
Spence, R., Bifulco, A., Bradbury, P., Martellozzo, E., & DeMarco, J. (2023) · Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace · doi:10.5817/cp2023-4-8 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
“Furthermore, disorders such as PTSD, STS and burnout are often comorbid with other mental health problems such as depression and anxiety and in some cases their onsets are linked (e.g., Hakanen et al., 2008; Schindel-Allon et al., 2010).”
BackgroundAn, Y., Huang, J., Chen, Y., & Deng, Z. (2019) · Psychological Trauma Theory Research Practice and Policy · doi:10.1037/tra0000455 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Peskin, M., Wyka, K., Cukor, J., Olden, M., Altemus, M., Lee, F. S., & Difede, J. (2019) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2018.03.001 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Measuring the Mental Health of Content Reviewers, a Systematic Review
Gonzalez, A., & Matias, J. N. (2025) · arXiv · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2502.00244 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“Although content moderators report anxiety, depression, nightmares, fatigue, and panic attacks [128, 130, 169], mental health problems such as PTSD, STS, and burnout also correlate with other diagnoses such as depression and anxiety [79, 161, 168].”
- Authors
- Schindel-Allon, I., Aderka, I. M., Shahar, G., Stein, M., & Gilboa-Schechtman, E.
- Affiliations
- Bar-Ilan University (IL)
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (IL)
- Rabin Medical Center (IL)
- Venue
- Psychological Medicine
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2010-01-11
- Volume
- 40
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 1669-1678
- ISSN
- 0033-2917 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-8978
- OpenAlex
- W2033426771
- Cited by
- 87
- References
- 16
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 4.93
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Bar-Ilan University
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
- Keywords
- post-traumatic stress disorder, depressive symptoms, PTSD-depression comorbidity, causal direction, trauma patients, longitudinal associations
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Depressive Disorder, Factor Analysis, Statistical, Female, Humans, Israel, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Models, Psychological, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Time Factors, Chi-Square Distribution, Terrorism
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review