Posttraumatic stress disorder Part III: health effects of interpersonal violence among women.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this three-part series is to examine the sufficiency of the posttraumatic stress (PTSD) diagnostic construct to capture the full spectrum of human responses to psychological trauma. Part I (Lasiuk & Hegadoren, 2006a) reviewed the conceptual history of PTSD from the nineteenth century to its inclusion in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 1980), while Part II (Lasiuk & Hegadoren, 2006b) described subsequent refinements to the original PTSD diagnostic criteria and highlighted subsequent controversies.


OBJECTIVE
This paper focuses on interpersonal violence (sexual, physical, and emotional abuse/assault) and its sequelae in women. We argue in support of Judith Herman's (1992) conceptualization of the human trauma response as a spectrum, anchored at one end by an acute stress reaction that resolves on its own without treatment, and on the other by "complex" PTSD, with "classic" or "simple" PTSD somewhere between the two.


METHODS
he existing theoretical, clinical and research literatures related to humans responses to trauma.


CONCLUSIONS
The paper concludes with a call for the need to increase a gendered perspective in all aspects of trauma research and clinical service delivery.
Hegadoren
K M
KM
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. kathy.hegadoren@ualberta.ca
Lasiuk
G C
GC
Coupland
N J
NJ
D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D004924:Escape Reaction / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D014943:Global Health; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008016:Life Change Events; D008603:Mental Health; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D012649:Self Concept; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014930:Women / Q000523:psychology*; D016387:Women's Health; D014932:Women's Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D014944:World Health Organization