title: Gender Disparities in the Mental Health of Urban Survivors of Trauma.
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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Advanced Studies in Education and Counseling, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, California, USA.
authors.forename: Bita
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ghafoori
authors.affiliation: Department of Advanced Studies in Education and Counseling, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, California, USA.
authors.forename: Belen
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Barragan
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors.forename: Lawrence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Palinkas
keywords: PTSD; abuse; depression; gender disparity; violence exposure