It is unclear whether the observed differences in effect size between interpersonal violence and accidents would make a material difference to understanding the ways in which predispositions work. The inescapable conclusion is that there is no empirical support in this meta-analysis for the notion that pre-existing predispositions play a weaker role in PTSD when trauma is extreme (versus lower magnitude). (The issue of the modifying effect of trauma type was not an explicit goal of the meta-analysis. The authors’ conclusions were about the importance of peritraumatic experiences as risk factors. It was cited subsequently in relation to these conclusions.)
