PTSD after sexual assault: gender-attributed differences in causes, symptoms, and interventions

Abstract

Sexual assault tends to lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with significant gender differences in its causes, symptoms and treatment. Women are more likely to experience severe anxiety and depression due to the sensitivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Influenced by social expectations, men typically experience shame and self blame, leading to underreporting and lack of social support. In terms of symptoms, females exhibit depression and anxiety, while males exhibit anger and aggressive behavior. Females respond better to treatment with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure therapy (PE) due to their ability to express emotions. Social support plays a crucial role in rehabilitation, which highlights the need for gender-specific interventions. At this stage, this study has some shortcomings due to the incomplete study of gender-specific victims and the lack of inclusion of other cultural contexts. Future research should optimize treatment based on gender differences, explore the impact of this phenomenon on transgender individuals if possible, and take cultural contexts into consideration in order to increase understanding and improve rehabilitation strategies for all victims.