Gender and Ptsd

Current research and clinical observations suggest pronounced gender-based differences in the ways people respond to traumatic events. Most notably, women evidence twice the rate of PTSD as men following traumatic exposure. This important volume brings together leading clinical scientists to analyze the current state of knowledge on gender and PTSD. Cogent findings are presented on gender-based differences and influences in such areas as trauma exposure, risk factors, cognitive and physiological processes, comorbidity, and treatment response. Going beyond simply cataloging gender-related data, the book explores how the research can guide us in developing more effective clinical services for both women and men. Incorporating cognitive, biological, physiological, and sociocultural perspectives, this is an essential sourcebook and text.

Rachel Kimerling, PhD, is a psychologist at the VA Palo Alto Healthcare System and the Clinical Laboratory and Education Division of the National Center for PTSD. She is also Assistant Professor at the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology in Palo Alto, California. She was formerly Assistant Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, where she conducted PTSD research at San Francisco General Hospital. Dr. Kimerling is interested in the detection, prevention, and treatment of PTSD in health care settings.

Paige Ouimette, PhD, is Associate Professor of Psychology at Washington State University. Previously, she was a Research Associate at the Center for Health Care Evaluation at the VA Palo Alto Healthcare System and Consulting Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. Her research addresses PTSD and comorbid conditions in clinical settings. Dr. Ouimette maintains a clinical practice in Pullman, Washington.

Jessica Wolfe, PhD, MPH, is Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine. She founded the Women's Health Sciences Division of the VA's National Center for PTSD and cofounded the Boston University School of Medicine Center for Excellence in Women's Health.

I. ETIOLOGY

1. The Epidemiology of Gender Differences in PTSD across Developmental, Societal, and Research Contexts

Fran H. Norris, Jennifer D. Foster, and Deborah L. Weisshaar

2. Gender Issues in the Neurobiology of PTSD

Ann M. Rasmusson and Matthew J. Friedman

3. Gender and PTSD: A Cognitive Model

David F. Tolin and Edna B. Foa

4. The Intersection of Gender and Betrayal in Trauma

Anne P. DePrince and Jennifer J. Freyd

II ASSESSMENT AND DIAGNOSIS

5. Differential Diagnosis of PTSD in Women

Marylene Cloitre, Karestan C. Koenen, Kim L. Gratz, and Matthew Jakupcak

6. Gender Considerations in the Psychometric Assessment of PTSD

Karen Cusack, Sherry Falsetti, Michael de Arellano

7. Gender and Psychophysiology of PTSD

Jessica M. Peirce, Tamara L. Newton, Todd C. Buckley, and Terence M. Keane

III COMORBIDITY

8. Gender Issues in PTSD with Comorbid Mental Health Disorders

Susan M. Orsillo, Sheela Raja, and Charity Hammond

9. Gender and the Comorbidity of PTSD with Substance Use Disorders

Sherry H. Stewart, Paige Ouimette, and Pamela J. Brown

10. PTSD and Medical Comorbidity

Rachel Kimerling, Gretchen Clum, Joy McQuery, and Paula P. Schnurr

IV TREATMENT

11. Gender and PTSD Treatment: Efficacy and Effectiveness

Dana Cason, Anouk Grubaugh, and Patricia Resick

12. Gender and the Psychopharmacological Treatment of PTSD

Kathleen T. Brady and Sudie E. Back

13. Gender, Trauma Themes, and PTSD: Narratives of Male and Female Survivors

Elizabeth D. Krause, Ruth R. DeRosa, and Susan Roth

14. Gender Issues in Couple and Family Therapy Following Traumatic Stress

Christina A. Byrne and David S. Riggs

V RESEARCH AND POLICY

15. Gender Differences in Stress, Trauma, and PTSD Research: Application of Two Quantitative Methods

Lynda A. King, Holly K. Orcutt, and Daniel W. King

16. Mental Health Policy and Women with PTSD

Mary C. Blehar, Bruce Cuthbert, and Kathryn M. Magruder