Perpetrator induced distress: prevalence, event characteristics and outcomes in civilian samples

Limited research exists on the prevalence, characteristics, and outcomes of perpetration induced potentially traumatic events (PTEs) in the general population. In the present study, participants from two samples (N=735) described a distressing event that was caused by their own actions, and completed outcomes measuring perpetration induced distress (PID), anxiety, depression, existential concerns, and symptoms of PTSD and complex PTSD. 56.6% of participants identified a distressing event that they perceived to be caused by their own actions. Deductive coding categorized responses by 4 previously identified themes: physical harm (25.2%), interpersonal conflict/betrayal (52.4%), violation of internal standards (20.0%), and violation of external standards (17.8%). Additionally, the events were coded for involving acts of commission (80.5%) vs omission and for being intentional (69.5%) vs accidental. Results of t-tests suggest that those who experienced events that involved causing physical harm report higher scores across all outcome measures. Those with PTEs involving violation of external standards also reported higher PID and PTSD scores. No effects were found for other PTE characteristics. These findings support the relevance of PID in civilian populations and suggests that PTEs involving causing physical harm is an important predictor of distress across a variety of domains.