Women who experience trauma are twice as likely as men to develop PTSD. Here’s why

More than half of all women will be exposed to at least one traumatic event in their lifetime, according to the National Center for PTSDopens in new window. Those traumatic experiences have been linked to a variety of negative mental health consequences, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In fact, research published in 2017 in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology suggests women experience PTSD at two to three times the rate that men doopens in new window. The lifetime prevalence of PTSD for women is 10% to 12%, compared to 5% to 6% for men.

This disparity is in part due to the fact that women and men experience different types of trauma and at different times in their lives, according to the study. Women, for example, are typically exposed to more interpersonal and high-impact trauma, such as sexual assault, than men, and at a younger age. Sexual assault carries one of the highest risks for PTSDopens in new window, according to research. In addition, trauma early in life often has a greater impactopens in new window, particularly when it involves multiple traumatic events. Traumatic stress affects different areas of the brains of boys and girls at different ages, and can interfere with neurobiological development and personalityopens in new window. Chronic fear, for example, whether in response to actual or anticipated threat, can lead to repeated activation of the physiological stress response systemopens in new window, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, altering the regulation of glucocorticoids such as cortisol.

Global estimates by the World Health Organizationopens in new window suggest one in three women will experience physical or sexual violence in her lifetime, usually by an intimate partner. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates approximately one in four womenopens in new window has experienced a rape or attempted rape. Women are also more likely than men to be survivors of child sexual abuse, with 25% of girls experiencing this form of abuse during childhood. Sexual abuse is the most common form of traumaopens in new window for women.

[Related: Preventing intimate partner violence by focusing on abusers]

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Servicesopens in new window found women with PTSD may be more likely than men with PTSD to:

• Be easily startled;
• Have more trouble feeling emotions or feel numb;
• Avoid things that remind them of the trauma;
• Feel depressed and anxious.

They also note women usually have PTSD symptoms longer than men (on average, 4 years versus 1 year) before diagnosis and treatment. While women with PTSD are less likely than men to have problems with alcohol or drugs after the trauma, both women and men may also develop physical health problems as a result of their PTSD.

A host of studies show a number of psychological treatments work very effectively for treating PTSD and can be tailored to fit each patient’s differing needs. These include different kinds of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which help change a patient’s thought processes around the negative event, and prolonged exposure therapy, which guides patients through the process of reexperiencing a traumatic event in a safe and controlled manner that eventually helps them face and accept it. Other therapies, including brief eclectic psychotherapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), narrative exposure therapy, as well as certain medications, can also be used to treat PTSD.

Making the decision to seek help for PTSD can be a difficult one for many patients, but it’s one that has the potential to improve a patient’s well-being and quality of life. One of the first steps is to find a psychologist or other mental health provider who has specific training in the treatments that have been shown to be effective for PTSD. APA’s Psychologist Locatoropens in new window can help a patient narrow down potential local providers.

Once you’ve located one or more providers with this expertise, give them a call or send an email asking them about their credentials and experience working with PTSD clients. Ask them, for example, about how long, and how have they helped these clients? Questions like these can give you a better sense of their background and capabilities. Taking the time to talk to a provider on the phone or through email can also help a patient determine whether the provider is someone they might like working with. It’s important for patients to trust their instincts here, and not be afraid to talk to more than one provider. This is important and often difficult work, making it critical for patients and therapists to have a good working relationship.