Publication year
2015
Citation Title
Gender differences in the expression of PTSD symptoms among active duty military personnel.
Journal Name
Journal of Anxiety Disorders
Journal Volume
29
Page Numbers
101-108
DOI
10.1016/j/janxdis.2014.11.007
Summary
Active Duty U.S. Military Service members participated in a study examining gender differences in individual posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and symptom clusters after controlling for several covariates. Women expressed more distress across all of the individual PTSD symptoms (except for hyper-vigilance) and symptom clusters compared to men.
Key Findings
Women were more likely than men to meet screening criteria for depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and prescription drug misuse women were more apt to report a history of sexual abuse and to not have been previously deployed than men.
Men were more likely than women to meet screening criteria for problem alcohol use, smoking, and illicit drug use; men were also more likely to report high combat exposure.
Women expressed more distress than men across all of the individual PTSD symptoms except for hyper-vigilance.
Controlling for trauma type, men and women had similar PTSD rates. Women were more distressed than men by the most violent aspects of warfare specific to wounds and death.
Implications for Program Leaders
Develop specific classes for female Service members who are managing PTSD, to address their unique experiences and needs
Offer classes for Service members and their families about the symptoms and signs of PTSD
Provide support groups for women as a means of bolstering peer support
Implications for Policy Makers
Screen Service members for these chemical and mental health concerns prior to deployment
Recommend continued support for the care of mental health conditions before, during, and after deployment
Encourage educational services to family members of Service members managing mental health concerns
Methods
Data were drawn from the 2008 Department of Defense Survey of Health Related Behaviors among Active Duty Military Personnel via random selection and stratification (70% response rate).
Participants complete a 32-page anonymous survey, which were completed during on-site visits to a military installation.
Participants completed measures of PTSD symptoms, depression, generalized anxiety disorder, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, combat exposure, demographics, and an item assessing history of sexual abuse.
Participants
Twenty-four thousand six hundred ninety individuals participated (73% male).
The average age for women was 27.60 years and 28.60 years for men.
No additional demographic variables were reported, but participants came from all military branches and results were weighted to reflect the Active Duty military population.
Limitations
Many of the measures were screening instruments instead of a standardized assessment or preferred clinical interview which could influence the results of the study.
The study was cross-sectional and causal conclusions are inappropriate.
Few demographic variables were presented in this paper; therefore, generalizability of the results is unknown.
Avenues for Future Research
Investigate the biological processes underlying gender differences in the manifestation of specific PTSD symptoms
Examine Service member functioning when exposed to multiple stressful events
Broaden the focus of inquiry beyond PTSD and also consider comorbid conditions (e.g., depression)
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
This study examined gender differences in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and symptom factors in the total U.S. active duty force. Data were drawn from the 2008 Department of Defense Survey of Health Related Behaviors among Active Duty Military Personnel including 17,939 men and 6751 women from all services. The results indicated that women expressed more distress than men across almost all the symptoms on the PTSD Checklist except for hypervigilance. Women also scored significantly higher on all four factors examined: Re-experiencing, Avoidance, Emotionally Numb, Hyperarousal. More women than men were distressed by combat experiences that involved some type of violence, such as being wounded, witnessing or engaging in acts of cruelty, engaging in hand-to-hand combat, and, to a lesser extent, handling dead bodies. Men who had been sexually abused had a greater number of symptoms and were consistently more distressed than women on individual symptoms and symptom factors.
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