It is now evident that women Veterans have increased risk of developing Post-traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD under several circumstances. Publications have focused on the greater risk to women than men to develop partial or full PTSD following assault trauma. The risk of developing PTSD resulting from betrayal trauma, which may be the case with Military Sexual Trauma (MST), is also greater than the risk following other types of trauma, even stranger rape. In addition, Inslicht et al have described enhanced acquisition of conditioned fear in women with PTSD. The authors suggest a sex-specific vulnerability to increased fear conditioning from heightened levels of pituitary adenylate cyclase–activating polypeptide, which is modulated by estrogen.
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