Childhood sexual and physical abuse ranges from fondling to rape and from severe spankings to life-threatening beatings. Studies of retrospective child abuse suggest that approximately 25–35 per cent of women and 10–20 per cent of men, if asked, describe being sexually abused as children and 10–20 per cent of men and women report experiences of physical abuse. Many children are also psychologically abused and/or neglected, as well.

Psychological abuse, also referred to as emotional abuse or mental abuse, is a form of abuse characterised by a person subjecting or exposing another to behaviour that may result in psychological trauma, including anxiety, chronic depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Such abuse is often associated with situations of power imbalance, such as abusive relationships, bullying, and abuse in the workplace

Rape can be defined as non-consensual sexual penetration through the use of threat or physical force, or when the victim is incapable of giving consent (for example, when under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or when he or she is otherwise cognitively impaired).

Stranger assault refers to muggings, beatings, stabbings, shootings and other violent actions against a person not well known to the assailant.

Because emergency workers often encounter potentially traumatic events, it is not surprising that those who help the traumatised may become traumatised themselves. Among those known to be at risk for such work-related stress are fire-fighters, rescue workers, paramedics and other emergency medical personnel.

Natural disasters can be defined as large-scale causing injury or death such as environmental disasters that adversely affect a significant number of people.

Transportation accidents involve events such as airline crashes, train derailments, and maritime accidents. These events often involve multiple victims and high fatality rates.

Approximately 20% of individuals in the UK have experienced a serious motor vehicle accident. A substantial number of these people go on to develop significant psychological disturbance, especially if the accident involved major injury or resulted in the death of others.

War is a common and relatively powerful source of enduring psychological disturbance. Posttraumatic difficulties have been described in veterans of  all wars.  War involves a very wide range of violent and traumatic experiences, including immediate threat of death, witnessing injury and/or death of others, and involvement of injuring or killing others.