Age of traumatisation as a predictor of post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression in young women
Open accessAbstract
Background: Findings in developmental psychopathology suggest that traumatisation in childhood may increase the risk of both post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder, whereas traumatisation in adolescence is more likely to lead to elevated PTSD risk. Aims: To estimate the impact of traumatisation in childhood or adolescence in a community sample. Method: A representative sample of 1966 young women from Dresden aged 18–45 years were interviewed for occurrence of traumatic events and the onset of PTSD and major depression. The sample was subdivided into a childhood trauma group (trauma up to age 12 years) and an adolescent trauma group (trauma from age 13 years). Results: A quarter of all participants reported traumatic events meeting the DSM AI criterion. In the childhood group conditional risks for PTSD and major depressive disorder were 17.0% and 23.3%, respectively, compared with risks of 13.3% and 6.5%, respectively, in the adolescent group. In 29% of those with PTSD, major depression was also present. Conclusions: The risk of developing major depressive disorder after traumatisation in childhood is approximately equal to the risk of developing PTSD. After age 13 years, the risk of PTSD is greater than the risk of major depression after traumatisation.
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ELS/CT is associated with increased risk for mental disorders such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and schizophrenia, and with their unfavorable outcomes.
“Especially an increased risk for mental disorders (e.g., depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia) and their unfavorable outcomes after ELS/CT experience has been repeatedly reported in several retrospective (5, 22–25) but also prospective studies (26–29).”
From Developmental Trajectories of Early Life Stress and Trauma: A Narrative Review on Neurobiological Aspects Beyond Stress System Dysregulation (2019) · cites this paper as [22]
The Background and Conclusions (page not provided) link childhood traumatisation to risk of major depression and PTSD in young women. The Limitations state that outcomes other than those two disorders were not investigated. This source therefore does not support the sentence’s inclusion of schizophrenia or unfavorable outcomes of those disorders. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredELS/CT during the hyper-active phase of adolescence may lead to a hypo-active and hypo-responsive HPA axis and accordingly higher risk for developing PTSD than depression in adulthood.
“2 years of life may lead to a hyper-activity and -responsiveness of HPA axis and accordingly higher risk for developing depression than PTSD, while ELS/CT during the hyper-active phase of adolescence may lead to a hypo-active and hypo-responsive HPA axis and accordingly higher risk for developing PTSD than depression in adulthood (22, 101).”
From Developmental Trajectories of Early Life Stress and Trauma: A Narrative Review on Neurobiological Aspects Beyond Stress System Dysregulation (2019) · cites this paper as [22]
The Conclusions state that after trauma at age 13 or older, the risk of PTSD is greater than the risk of major depression. The Age-differential pathways section does not describe an adolescent hyper-active phase or a hypo-active, hypo-responsive HPA axis as the mechanism; it discusses greater HPA-axis sensitivity following severe stress early in life. Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredELS/CT exposure during the first hypo-sensitive 2 years of life may lead to a hyper-activity and -responsiveness of the HPA axis and accordingly higher risk for developing depression than PTSD.
“ELS/CT exposure during the first hypo-sensitive 2 years of life may lead to a hyper-activity and -responsiveness of HPA axis and accordingly higher risk for developing depression than PTSD, while”
From Developmental Trajectories of Early Life Stress and Trauma: A Narrative Review on Neurobiological Aspects Beyond Stress System Dysregulation (2019) · cites this paper as [22]
The “Age-differential pathways” section (page not specified in our copy) reports that trauma through age 12 was associated with higher rates of major depression, but not PTSD, and cites greater adult HPA-axis sensitivity after severe early-life stress. It does not identify the first two years as a hypo-sensitive period or establish HPA hyperactivity specifically following exposure in those years. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredELS/CT exposure in early childhood leads to a similarly higher risk for developing major depressive disorder or PTSD in adulthood, while after ELS/CT exposure in adolescence, the risk for PTSD is greater than for depression.
“Taken together, ELS/CT exposure in early childhood leads to a similarly higher risk for developing major depressive disorder or PTSD in adulthood, while after ELS/CT exposure in adolescence, the risk for PTSD is greater than for depression (22).”
From Developmental Trajectories of Early Life Stress and Trauma: A Narrative Review on Neurobiological Aspects Beyond Stress System Dysregulation (2019) · cites this paper as [22]
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References 27 · Cited by 225
- Authors
- Maercker, A., Michael, T., Fehm, L., Becker, E. S., & Margraf, J.
- Affiliations
- University of Basel (CH)
- Technische Universität Dresden (DE)
- Radboud University Nijmegen (NL)
- Venue
- British Journal of Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
- Published
- 2004-06
- Volume
- 184
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 482-487
- ISSN
- 0007-1250 (ISSN-L)
- 1472-1465
- OpenAlex
- W2114785244
- Semantic Scholar
- d7049d733caa7a556b85107c269fbd0e86bab9e3
- Cited by
- 225
- References
- 27
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 16
- FWCI
- 8.39
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- The British Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Radboud Repository (Radboud University) (submittedVersion)
- Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Federalno Ministarstvo Obrazovanja i Nauke
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
- Keywords
- childhood trauma, adolescent trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, comorbidities, developmental psychopathology, young women, community sample
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Child, Depressive Disorder, Female, Germany, Humans, Life Change Events, Middle Aged, Psychology, Social, Risk Factors, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Stress, Psychological
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