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Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Biomarkers in an Animal Model for Revealing Neural, Hematologic, and Behavioral Correlates of PTSD
Published on: October 10, 2012
Duration of exposure and the dose-response model of PTSD
Debra Kaysen1, Gerald Rosen, Marilyn Bowman
1University of Washington Medical School, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Box 356560, Seattle,WA 98195-0650, USA. dkaysen@u.washington.edu
Abstract:
A dose-response model underlies posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and posits a relationship between event magnitude and clinical outcome. The present study examines whether one index of event magnitude--duration of exposure--contributes to risk of PTSD among female victims of sexual assault. Findings support a small but significant contribution of event duration to clinical status in the immediate aftermath of trauma but not at 3-month follow-up. The opposite pattern is obtained for subjective appraisals of threat. These findings add to a growing literature that suggests that a simple application of the dose-response model to objective event characteristics may be insufficient to explain the risk of PTSD.
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