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. 2017 Dec 1:8:2091.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02091. eCollection 2017.

Gender Differences in Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms after a Terrorist Attack: A Network Approach

Marianne S Birkeland  1 , Ines Blix  1 , Øivind Solberg  1 , Trond Heir  1   2
Affiliations

Gender Differences in Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms after a Terrorist Attack: A Network Approach

Marianne S Birkeland et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Background: Posttraumatic stress symptoms are more prevalent in women than in men. To improve our understanding of gender differences in PTSD, detailed knowledge about the underlying symptom networks and gender specific symptom profiles is needed. Objective: We aimed to describe the gender differences in levels of individual posttraumatic stress symptoms after a terrorist attack, as well as identify possible gender differences in associations between posttraumatic stress symptoms. Method: This study used survey data from ministerial employees directly (n = 190) and indirectly (n = 1,615) exposed to the 2011 Oslo bombing. Data was collected approximately 10 months after the event. In order to investigate gender differences in levels of symptoms, we used bootstrapped means and standard deviations. Network analyses were conducted to identify gender differences in the associations between posttraumatic stress symptoms. Results: Women reported higher levels of all symptoms, and the strongest effect sizes were found for symptoms of re-experiencing, and anxious and dysphoric arousal. Among individuals with considerable levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms, women reported higher levels of physiological cue activity and exaggerated startle response. No significant gender differences in the networks of posttraumatic stress were found. Conclusions: The present results find no indication that the gender difference in prevalence of PTSD can be explained by differences in associations between symptoms. In order to determine if this finding can be applied to other participants and circumstances, future studies should seek to replicate this study in both community and clinical samples.

Keywords: PTSD; gender differences; network analysis; sex differences; terrorism; traumatology.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mean levels with 95% CI of individual symptoms of posttraumatic stress in directly and indirectly exposed women and men 10 months after a terrorist attack.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Networks of the symptoms of posttraumatic stress in women and men with sum of PCL ≥ 30.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Estimates of node strength for the symptoms of posttraumatic stress in women with sum of PCL ≥ 30.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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