NCJ Number
232854
Journal
Aggression and Violent Behavior Volume: 15 Issue: 6 Dated: November/December 2010 Pages: 463-474
Date Published
December 2010
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This paper reviews the current literature focusing on gender differences in recovery from the most often occurring psychopathology following traumatic events, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Abstract
Men and women are exposed differentially to violence and trauma. Epidemiological study has further indicated that trauma exposure can result in disparate rates of resultant psychopathology according to gender. In particular, gender differences consistently emerge in the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the most common psychiatric diagnosis secondary to violence and other traumatic events. Despite robust findings regarding gender differences in the development of PTSD, research regarding gender differences in the recovery from PTSD has been relatively understudied. This paper seeks to assess the current state of the literature regarding gender differences in response to treatment and identify directions for future research. The authors reviewed the extant treatment outcome studies of PTSD to identify all studies that reported gender comparisons in treatment outcome across primary measures of PTSD symptoms, secondary outcomes of treatment, and rates of treatment attrition. The limitations of the current literature are discussed with a focus on implications for future research. (Published Abstract) Tables and references