Gender differences in risk of posttraumatic stress symptoms after disaster among older people: Differential exposure or differential vulnerability?

ABSTRACT:

Background

Women have been observed to have a higher risk of developing posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) after disaster compared to men. In a study of survivors of an earthquake, we sought to investigate: whether there was differential exposure to disaster-related trauma by gender; whether women and men have differential vulnerability to trauma; and what factors could explain the gender difference in PTSS.

Methods

Data from a cohort of community-dwelling older survivors of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami was used. Data were obtained before (2010) and 2.5-years after the disaster (n = 3,334).

Results

Women suffered 1.6 times higher prevalence of PTSS than men (31.0% vs. 19.4%). Women were more likely to experience loss of relatives (29.2% vs. 23.2%

SUBMITTER: Yazawa A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8629870 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature