Women, Trauma and PTSD
By National Center for PTSD
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From va.gov
July 26, 2011
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Trauma is common in women; five out of ten women experience a traumatic event. Women tend to experience different traumas than men. While both men and women report the same symptoms of PTSD (hyperarousal, reexperiencing, avoidance, and numbing), some symptoms are more common for women or men.
History
Most early information on trauma and PTSD came from studies of male veterans mostly Vietnam veterans. Researchers began to study the effects of sexual assault and found that women's reactions were similar to male combat veterans. Women's experiences of trauma can also cause PTSD. This finding led to more research on women's exposure to trauma and PTSD.
Risk of experiencing trauma
Findings from a large national mental health study show that a little more than half of all women will experience at least one traumatic event in their life. Women are slightly less likely to experience trauma than men. The most common trauma for women is sexual assault or child sexual abuse. About 1 in 3 women will experience a sexual assault in their lifetime. Rates of sexual assault are higher for women than men. Women are also more likely to be neglected or abused in childhood, to experience domestic violence, or to have a loved one suddenly die.
What happens after trauma
After a trauma, some women may feel depressed, start drinking or using drugs, or develop PTSD. Women are more than twice as likely to develop PTSD than men (10% for women and 4% for men). There are a few reasons women might get PTSD more than men:
■Women are more likely to experience sexual assault
■Sexual assault is more likely to cause PTSD than many other events
■Women may be more likely to blame themselves for trauma experiences than men
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Comments (4 comments)
Add your commentMy Mother was assaulted by the same person as I was. Thru counsleling I descovered why my Mother made me confront the abuser in front of her. As a child I thought my Mother didn't believe what I was saying. When what my Mother wanted me to do was to be HER voice and stand up to the abuser. My Mother has always been so intimidated by this person. But, I also question that if my Mother was abused by the same person…why didn't she watch out for me, not letting this person get to me!!!!!!!!
All the symptoms mentioned above are true for me. My trauma didn't stop once I got married and moved out. I married a wonderful man who grew up in the "Leave it to Beaver" home. I married to escape through love. However, my coping ways followed me. My avoidance of any type of anger and violence created an atmosphere of me doing everything to make my husband happy. I continued to loose myself by shoving all pain deep inside. Then further trauma happened when my I miscarried my daughter. She was our second child. After two more children, our 5th child was stillborn. How did I cope? I didn't. The pain of holding your child who would never come home and grow up with his siblings is as raw a pain as can be. This event began a hidden depression which eventually brought me to the place where I had no choice but to deal with my childhood trauma as well. I don't want to do it because it makes me have to deal with the pain but I know it is for the best.
I was violently raped on my 16th birthday, and through the counseling for the trauma of my son's death, I learned that I had carried PTSD with me all those years since that event—almost 40 years. I knew the rape affected my life in many unpleasant ways. I knew I had nightmares and fears from it. But I didn't know anything about PTSD at that time.
YES, that is exactly right. I was sexually assaulted as a child for three to four years, and I still don't trust any men. And the bad side is that I blamed myself for the abuse for a very long time. I still don't fell safe, from being assaulted again.