Risk factors for the development versus maintenance of posttraumatic stress disorder

This study examined risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Vietnam veterans: 68 women and 414 men of whom 88 were White, 63 Black, 80 Hispanic, 90 Native Hawaiian, and 93 Japanese American. Continuation ratio logistic regression was used to compare the predictive power of risk factors for the development versus maintenance of full or partial PTSD. The development of PTSD was related to premilitary, military, and postmilitary factors. The maintenance of PTSD was related primarily to military and postmilitary factors. Multivariate analyses identified different models for development and maintenance. We conclude that development of PTSD is related to factors that occur before, during, and after a traumatic event, whereas failure to recover is related primarily to factors that occur during and after the event.