With respect to cases that were positive for lifetime same-event PTSD according to the DSM-5 criteria but not the DSM-IV criteria, most were due to failure to meet the old Criterion C (avoidance/numbing) or the old Criterion D (arousal). Failure to meet the DSM-IV Criterion C could occur, for example, if a participant met the DSM-5 Criterion D (negative alterations in cognitions and mood associated with the traumatic event/s) based solely on newly included symptoms (e.g., distorted blame, persistent negative emotional state), or endorsed only one numbing symptom consistent with the DSM-IV criteria and had endorsed only one DSM-5 Criterion C (active avoidance) symptom. Finally, some individuals met the DSM-5 Criterion E (marked alterations in arousal and reactivity associated with the traumatic event/s), but not the DSM-IV Criterion D (arousal) by virtue of endorsing the newly included DSM-5 symptom describing reckless and self-destructive behavior as one of only two arousal criterion symptoms endorsed.
