Anyone can develop PTSD at any age. This includes war veterans, children, and people who have experienced physical or sexual assault, abuse, accident, disaster, or other serious events. According to the National Center for PTSD, about 7 or 8 out of 100 people will experience PTSD at some point in their lives. Department of Veterans Affairs, about 7 to 8 percent of people in the U.S.
The U.S. will have PTSD at some point. In any given year, about 8 million adults have this disorder. It is more common among people with very stressful jobs or among people who are more likely to be exposed to traumatic events, such as military service members and first responders.
However, one of the most common causes of post-traumatic stress disorder is having a car accident. Women are considered to be more likely to develop PTSD than men. The lifetime prevalence of PTSD has been found to be 10 to 12 percent among women and 5 to 6 percent in men.