Gender Disparities in the Mental Health of Urban Survivors of Trauma |
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| Authors: | Bita Ghafoori Belen Barragan Lawrence Palinkas |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Advanced Studies in Education and Counseling , California State University, Long Beach , Long Beach , California , USA Bita.Ghafoori@csulb.edu;3. Department of Advanced Studies in Education and Counseling , California State University, Long Beach , Long Beach , California , USA;4. School of Social Work, University of Southern California , Los Angeles , California , USA |
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| Abstract: | Women who experience traumatic events are at higher risk for mental health problems compared to men; however, gaps remain in our understanding of this disparity. A sample of 170 urban adults completed self-report measures. Women were significantly more likely to experience sexual assault and domestic violence compared to men, and they were significantly less likely to experience a robbery or mugging, being threatened with a weapon, or witnessing a death or assault compared to men. Also, women were more likely than men to meet criteria for probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression after controlling for covariates and trauma level. Our findings suggest a possible differential vulnerability to the development of PTSD and depressive symptoms in women. |
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| Keywords: | abuse depression gender disparity PTSD violence exposure |
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