Which statement is true about relative risks for rape survivors?

Which statement is true about relative risks for rape survivors?

• A. PTSD shows a lower relative increase than depression.
• B. PTSD shows a higher relative increase than depression.
• C. Alcohol abuse has the same increase as drug abuse.
• D. Suicide contemplation has a higher increase than PTSD.

Answer: (B)

When we look at relative risk after a traumatic event like rape, we’re comparing how likely different problems are to appear in survivors versus people who haven’t experienced that trauma. PTSD is a trauma-specific disorder; rape is a profoundly traumatic experience, so the chance of developing PTSD is particularly high among survivors. This makes the relative risk for PTSD larger than that for depression, which, while common after rape, can emerge from a wider mix of factors and isn’t as tightly tied to the traumatic event alone. Substance use and thoughts of suicide can rise, but the pattern of association with rape tends to show PTSD as the stronger relative increase when compared directly to depression. So the statement that PTSD shows a higher relative increase than depression captures how the trauma-driven nature of PTSD amplifies risk more than depression does in this context.

When we look at relative risk after a traumatic event like rape, we’re comparing how likely different problems are to appear in survivors versus people who haven’t experienced that trauma. PTSD is a trauma-specific disorder; rape is a profoundly traumatic experience, so the chance of developing PTSD is particularly high among survivors. This makes the relative risk for PTSD larger than that for depression, which, while common after rape, can emerge from a wider mix of factors and isn’t as tightly tied to the traumatic event alone. Substance use and thoughts of suicide can rise, but the pattern of association with rape tends to show PTSD as the stronger relative increase when compared directly to depression. So the statement that PTSD shows a higher relative increase than depression captures how the trauma-driven nature of PTSD amplifies risk more than depression does in this context.