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. 2017 May 12;12(5):e0177617.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177617. eCollection 2017.

When do traumatic experiences alter risk-taking behavior? A machine learning analysis of reports from refugees

Mareike Augsburger  1   2   3 , Thomas Elbert  1   2
Affiliations

When do traumatic experiences alter risk-taking behavior? A machine learning analysis of reports from refugees

Mareike Augsburger et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Exposure to traumatic stressors and subsequent trauma-related mental changes may alter a person's risk-taking behavior. It is unclear whether this relationship depends on the specific types of traumatic experiences. Moreover, the association has never been tested in displaced individuals with substantial levels of traumatic experiences. The present study assessed risk-taking behavior in 56 displaced individuals by means of the balloon analogue risk task (BART). Exposure to traumatic events, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression were assessed by means of semi-structured interviews. Using a novel statistical approach (stochastic gradient boosting machines), we analyzed predictors of risk-taking behavior. Exposure to organized violence was associated with less risk-taking, as indicated by fewer adjusted pumps in the BART, as was the reported experience of physical abuse and neglect, emotional abuse, and peer violence in childhood. However, civil traumatic stressors, as well as other events during childhood were associated with lower risk taking. This suggests that the association between global risk-taking behavior and exposure to traumatic stress depends on the particular type of the stressors that have been experienced.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Both authors are members of the non-profit organization vivo international e.V. (www.vivo.org/en). Vivo international did not provide any financial support and was not involved in the conduction of the study. This also does not alter the authors’ adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and material.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Partial dependency plots for the first 12 variables.
For each predictor variable (displayed on the abscissas) the number of adjusted pumps (displayed on the ordinate) is shown as a function of the former.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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