Further research is needed to study implications of these findings with regard to risk factors for PTSD and implications for treatment. Understanding whether PTSD symptoms to one event may exacerbate the reaction to a subsequent event and/or conversely, the experience of a new event may reactivate or worsen symptoms to a previously experienced event(s) could add to knowledge regarding the impact of cumulative exposure to events. Such information might also be relevant to explore within treatment approaches that may need to more clearly address symptoms that relate to more than one traumatic event. Further study of potential underlying mechanisms (biological, psychological, behavioral, environmental) should be conducted to gain greater understanding of observed patterns.
