Which feature is most closely associated with PTSD in sexual violence survivors?

• A. Nightmares
• B. Panic attacks
• C. Reexperiencing trauma
• D. Avoidance

Answer: (C)

Reexperiencing the trauma is a defining pattern of PTSD. It involves intrusive memories, flashbacks, distressing dreams, and strong reactions to reminders that bring the original event back into the person’s awareness as if it were happening again. For survivors of sexual violence, this reexperiencing can be especially pronounced because reminders in daily life—conversations, touch, smells, or contexts related to the assault—can involuntarily trigger vivid recollections or physiological arousal.

Nightmares are part of the intrusion experience, but they are one aspect of reexperiencing rather than the broader pattern itself. Panic attacks, while they can co-occur, are not specific to PTSD. Avoidance is another symptom cluster but does not by itself capture the core experience of reliving the trauma. The reexperiencing feature best reflects the persistent, involuntary re-entry into the traumatic memory that characterizes PTSD in sexual violence survivors.