Commentary: trauma and female inmates: why is witnessing more traumatic?

The study of female inmates by Warren et al. is essential research concerning the characteristics of trauma and the symptoms of trauma associated with full PTSD. This commentary explores their surprising finding that a high number of female inmates who have experienced multiple and severe traumas report that witnessing is traumatic and that, in a high percentage, it is associated with full PTSD. The commentary proposes a connection between the ultimate finding of Warren et al. that the number of traumas predicts full PTSD and links witnessing to symptoms of intrusion and arousal via memory formation in individuals with a high incidence of lifetime trauma, because of their increased sensitivity.