Which outcome has a 6x relative likelihood for rape survivors?

• A. Suffer from depression (3x)
• B. Abuse alcohol (12x)
• C. Abuse drugs (26x)
• D. Suffer from PTSD (6x)

Answer: (D)

Understanding relative risk after a traumatic event helps you see how much more likely certain problems are for rape survivors compared with those who haven’t experienced rape. A sixfold increase for post-traumatic stress disorder means survivors are six times as likely to meet PTSD criteria as non-survivors. PTSD is a trauma-specific reaction, with symptoms like intrusive memories, avoidance, negative mood, and heightened arousal, that often endure after rape. In this set, depression is also more likely than in the general population but to a lesser extent (about three times as likely). Alcohol misuse and drug misuse can show even larger increases in some data, reflecting different coping mechanisms and vulnerabilities (roughly twelvefold and twenty-sixfold, respectively). The sixfold rise for PTSD aligns with its direct association with traumatic experiences, making it the best match for a 6x relative likelihood among rape survivors.