Aetiology of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Mental health conditions are becoming more prevalent in society today, and understanding the causes helps formulate the best healthcare interventions that meet individual healthcare needs. One of the mental health illnesses that is becoming more common in society and poses a greater risk to humans is post-traumatic stress disorder, which can affect any individual regardless of age, gender, or ethnicity. Post-traumatic stress development is associated with exposure to traumatic experiences or events. However, a profound analysis of the condition from evidence-based research indicates an interplay of psychological, biological, and social factors causes the disorder. The condition, if not treated, can have a severe impact on an individual daily functioning and may also lead to suicidal thoughts. Based on a recent World Mental Health Survey, nearly 8 million people globally develop post-traumatic disorder, causing 54.8% disability in developed countries and 41.25% disability in developing countries (Biresaw et al., 2021). The increasing number of people affected indicates that healthcare professionals and society should be aware of the root causes of the disorder to manage the symptoms and have a long-lasting cure. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental condition that can be effectively managed by understanding the major multifaceted elements that lead to the onset and progression of the disorder, mainly categorized as biological, social, and psychological factors.

One of the causes of post-traumatic stress disorder is biological factors. Various biological factors, such as genes, contribute to the development of the disorder. Variations of genes limit regulation of significant biological processes and pathways which may interfere with neurochemical signaling, synaptic plasticity, and systems that respond to stress (Skolariki et al., 2023). The mental disorder may also develop due to disruptions of brain regions like the amygdala. The amygdala brain region regulates fear, emotions, memory, and any interference affects how the brain process emotions and fear which causes development of PSTD (Zhang et al. 2019). Neurotransmitters are also biological factors that also take part in the development and progression of post-traumatic disorder. Skolariki et al. (2023) also indicate that imbalances of these neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, that regulate mood and stress responses disrupt stress regulation, contributing to PSTD. Therefore, the analysis of biological factors indicates that these factors play a significant role in the development of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Social factors also lead to the development and progression of post-traumatic stress. One way in which an individual may develop the mental condition through social factors is through exposure to traumatizing events or experiences in life. Experiences of abuse, such as sexual, physical, or emotional abuse and violence during childhood or adulthood, increase the risk of developing post-traumatic disorder. One recent study finding shows that people who have experienced or witnessed violent killings of family or friends are twice as likely to have post-traumatic stress disorder compared to those who have never experienced such events (Madoro et al., 2020). From these studies, violence may leave traumatic experiences, therefore triggering the development of post-traumatic disorder. Additionally, social factors like poverty and discrimination based on various backgrounds such as race, gender, or sexual orientation may also lead to traumatic stress, especially if one did not receive any psychological or social support to help them heal from such events. In their study, Harb et al. (2023) confirm that various forms of discrimination, such as racial discrimination, have been established to be a traumatic stressor that increases the risk of developing post-traumatic disorder. When such individuals encounter similar scenarios, they trigger them to remember the traumatic events and may impair normal daily functioning. The majority of them are likely to self-isolate themselves, which further exacerbates the effects of traumatic stress, and they may struggle with healing. Therefore, social factors also have a critical role in the development of post-traumatic disorder.

Psychological factors may also lead to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder. Several psychological factors may contribute to the onset of PSTD, and one factor is individual perception and interpretation of traumatic events. Sekoni et al. (2021) study confirms this by highlighting post-traumatic stress disorder may develop depending on how one psychologically views and interprets a traumatic event. Therefore, an individual's way of interpreting and perceiving traumatic events they have encountered has a high likelihood of causing the disorder, especially if an individual perceives and interprets events as highly threatening and uncontrollable. Furthermore, factors such as the existence of mental illness have a likelihood of increasing post-traumatic stress disorder. A person who has a history of developing mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression has a higher probability of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (Al Jowf et al., 2022). Besides, post-traumatic stress disorder may also develop because of psychological factors such as cognitive biases. Imbriano et al. (2022) highlights that individuals with intentional and memory biases influence negative valenced emotional stimuli, which results in the development of post-traumatic stress disorder". From the study conducted by Imbriano et al., post-traumatic stress will likely develop if a person concentrates more on negative stimuli, which makes them highly susceptible to developing the disorder. Based on the above analysis, it can be concluded that individuals may also develop this mental illness due to various psychological factors.

In conclusion, an individual may develop post-traumatic stress disorder from biological, social, and psychological factors. Biological factors such as genetic variations, imbalance of neurotransmitters, and alteration of the amygdala contribute significantly to the development of PSTD. Additionally, social factors such as exposure to traumatizing events, such as sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, violence, and poverty, may lead to the development of the disorder. Furthermore, psychological factors such as individual perception, interpretation of the traumatic event, and cognitive biases are strongly associated with the onset of PSTD. Therefore, understanding the factors that lead to the onset of PSTD plays a crucial role to both healthcare providers and society in the fight against post-traumatic stress.