Trauma type affects the perceived severity of symptoms and intensity of the recommended intervention in laypeople’s perspective on PTSD

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent mental health condition that can significantly impair individual's daily life. PTSD literacy can help not only those affected cope with the condition but also facilitate laypeople's interactions with those who have experienced or currently suffer from PTSD. However, it is not well-established whether and how the perceived severity of the traumatic event and the supposed need for intervention depend on the causes of PTSD. In the present experiment, we systematically varied the cause across vignettes while holding other aspects constant. Analyses revealed significant differences in severity ratings of the traumatic experience across conditions. The sexual assault and military combat conditions stood out with the highest ratings. Furthermore, severity ratings predicted the intensity of the intervention participants recommended, and both ratings were higher for female participants compared to male participants. While the study confirms the impact of the cause of PTSD on the severity assumed by laypeople, our results diverge from earlier findings in that sexual assault led to particularly high ratings in the current study.