Do Males and Females Differ in Recovering from PTSD Symptoms?
Abstract
Objective: The present study focuses on the effectiveness of problem-solving training program on female and male PTSD survivors of Bam earthquake in Iran.
Method: Female and male subjects were requested to fill in several questionnaires including clinical interview, coping skills questionnaire, and a demographic form. The subjects also participated in a problem-solving training program.
Results: The results showed that the training program was effective for both sex groups. The sex groups did not show significant differences on PTSD symptoms in the post-test phase. Females tended to maintain their emotionfocused skills in post-test phase while the males did not. However, for both groups the mean scores of problem coping skills similarity increased. Although the mean scores of some PTSD symptoms were increased for the female group, the majority of PTSD symptoms decreased for both sexes in the posttest phase.
Conclusion: It may be concluded that females are more likely to show PTSD symptoms than males. In addition, they may predispose to maintain negative attitudes towards life events than males.
Breslau N, Kessler RC, Chilcoat HD, Schultz LR, Davis GC, Andreski P. Trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder in the community. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1998; 55: 626-632.
Kessler RC, Sonnega A, Bromet E, Hughes M, Nelson CB. Posttraumatic stress disorder in the National Comorbidity Survey. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1995; 52: 1048-1060.
Tolin DF, Foa EB. Gender and PTSD: A cognitive model. In: Kimerling R, Ouimette P, Wolfe J, eds. Gender and PTSD. New York: Guilford Press; 2002. p. 76-97.
Fakour Y, Mohammadi MR, Mahmoudi Gharaei J, Karimi M, Azar M [The effect of debriefing and group behavioral intervention on PTSD symptoms of Bam Earthquake survivors in Iran]. advances in cognitive science 2004; 6: 85-92.
Ghomashchi F, Salimi SH. The effectiveness of problem solving skills in decreasing PTSD symptoms in suvivors of Bam earthquake. Pakistan J Med Sci 2007; 23: 736.
Foa EB, Tolin DF, Ehlers A, Clark DM, Orsillo SM. The Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory(PTCI): Development and validation. Psychol Assess 1999; 11: 303-314.
Foa EB, Rothbaum BO. Treating the Trauma of Rape: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for PTSD. New York: Guilford Press; 1998.
Montazeri A, Baradaran H, Omidvari S, Azin S. „Ebadi, M., Garmaroudi, G., et al.(2005). Psychological distress among Bam earthquake survivors in Iran: A population-based study. Biomed Central Public Health.
Perkonigg A, Kessler RC, Storz S, Wittchen HU. Traumatic events and post-traumatic stress disorder in the community: prevalence, risk factors and comorbidity. Acta Psychiatr Scand 2000; 101: 46-59.
Burger L, Van-Staden F, Nieuwoudt J. The Free State floods: A case study. S Afr J Psychol 1989; 19: 205–209.
Pynoos RS, Goenjian A, Tashjian M, Karakashian M, Manjikian R, Manoukian G, et al. Post-traumatic stress reactions in children after the 1988 Armenian earthquake. Br J Psychiatry 1993; 163: 239.
Joseph S, Yule W, Williams R, Hodgkinson P. Correlates of post-traumatic stress at 30 months: the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster. Behav Res Ther 1994; 32: 521-524.
Burger L. Coping with Repetitive Natural Disasters: A Study of the Ladysmith Floods. Pretoria: Dept. of Psychology, University of South Africa; 1992.
Punamaki RL, Komproe IH, Qouta S, Elmasri M, de Jong J. The Role of Peritraumatic Dissociation and Gender in the Association Between Trauma and Mental Health in a Palestinian Community Sample. Am J Psychiatry 2005; 162: 545-551.
Fullerton CS, Ursano RJ, Epstein RS, Crowley B, Vance K, Kao TC, et al. Gender differences in posttraumatic stress disorder after motor vehicle accidents. Am J Psychiatr 2001; 158: 1486-1491.
Kalayjian A, Kanazi RL, Aberson CL, Feygin L. a cross- cultural study of the psychosocial and spritual impact of natural disaster International Journal of Group Tensions 2002; 31: 175-186.
Sadock BJ, Sadock VA. Kaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry: Behavioral Sciences/Clinical Psychiatry. Ninth ed. Philladelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2003.
Goodarzi MA. [Evaluating reliability and validity of the Mississippi Scale for the post traumatic stress disorder]. Journal of Psychology 2003; 7: 153-178.
Keane TM, Caddell JM, Taylor KL. Mississippi scale for combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder: three studies in reliability and validity. J Consult Clin Psychol 1988; 56: 85-90.
Porshabaz A. Relationships between life events and personality types in leukemia patients. [Master dissertation in clinical psychology]. Tehran: University of Medical Sciences; 1992.
| Files | ||
| Issue | Vol 3 No 1 (2008) | |
| Section | Articles | |
| Keywords | ||
| Earthquakes Iran Gender Posttraumatic stress disorder Problem solving | ||
| Rights and permissions | |
|
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
