Gender differences in early posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: a network analysis
Background: Despite known gender/sex differences in the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), potential differences in the associations among PTSD symptoms between men and women in the early post-trauma period are not well-characterized.Objective: This study utilized network analysis t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | European Journal of Psychotraumatology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/20008066.2024.2448385 |
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| author | Line Rønning Rachel L. Zelkowitz Marilyn L. Piccirillo Jianlin Liu Jordan L. Thomas Jessy Guler J. Joana Kyei Chris M. Hoeboer Jeanet F. Karchoud Miranda Olff Anke B. Witteveen Mirjam van Zuiden |
| author_facet | Line Rønning Rachel L. Zelkowitz Marilyn L. Piccirillo Jianlin Liu Jordan L. Thomas Jessy Guler J. Joana Kyei Chris M. Hoeboer Jeanet F. Karchoud Miranda Olff Anke B. Witteveen Mirjam van Zuiden |
| author_sort | Line Rønning |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Despite known gender/sex differences in the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), potential differences in the associations among PTSD symptoms between men and women in the early post-trauma period are not well-characterized.Objective: This study utilized network analysis to assess potential differences in the associations among PTSD symptom clusters between men and women during the early post-trauma period.Method: We included n = 475 participants (57.5% self-identified women) who recently (≤2 months) experienced an interpersonal or motor vehicle potential traumatic event in the Netherlands. Past month PTSD symptoms were measured with the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) and composited according to the five-node PTSD symptom cluster dysphoric arousal model. We estimated the network as well as indices of centrality (strength and predictability) and assessed the stability of the modelled networks in subsamples of men (n = 202) and women (n = 273). We compared network structures using the Network Comparison Test (NCT).Results: Results largely demonstrated adequate correlation stability for the estimated network structures for women and men. For both men and women, avoidance symptoms were among the strongest nodes with greatest predictability in the networks. In men, anxious arousal additionally showed high strength whereas re-experiencing showed high predictability. In women, re-experiencing symptoms demonstrated both high strength and predictability. The NCT demonstrated nonsignificant differences in global network structure (M = 0.08, p = .054) and strength (S = .073, p = .067). Post hoc comparisons showed an association of re-experiencing symptoms with negative alterations in cognitions and mood in men but not women (E = .038, p = .005).Conclusion: Results demonstrated possible modest gender differences in aspects of network structure although most elements of the network structure were similar across genders. These results help to characterize gender differences in associations among PTSD symptom clusters during the early post-trauma period, which may inform the potential relevance of future gender-sensitive early intervention strategies to ameliorate the risk for long-term PTSD. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6eaee6af5e1f42c681ca992f77eae4df |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2000-8066 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of Psychotraumatology |
| spelling | doaj-art-6eaee6af5e1f42c681ca992f77eae4df2025-01-23T12:18:15ZengTaylor & Francis GroupEuropean Journal of Psychotraumatology2000-80662025-12-0116110.1080/20008066.2024.2448385Gender differences in early posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: a network analysisLine Rønning0Rachel L. Zelkowitz1Marilyn L. Piccirillo2Jianlin Liu3Jordan L. Thomas4Jessy Guler5J. Joana Kyei6Chris M. Hoeboer7Jeanet F. Karchoud8Miranda Olff9Anke B. Witteveen10Mirjam van Zuiden11Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, NorwayWomen’s Health Sciences Division, National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USADepartment of Psychiatry, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, USAResearch Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore, SingaporeVABoston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USADepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Washington, USAGhana Institute of Management and Public Administration, Achimota-Accra, GhanaDepartment of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the NetherlandsAmsterdam UMC, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Public Health, University of Amsterdam, the NetherlandsDepartment of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the NetherlandsDepartment of Clinical, Neuro- and Developmental Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health Institute and World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Research and Dissemination of Psychological Interventions, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the NetherlandsDepartment of Clinical Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the NetherlandsBackground: Despite known gender/sex differences in the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), potential differences in the associations among PTSD symptoms between men and women in the early post-trauma period are not well-characterized.Objective: This study utilized network analysis to assess potential differences in the associations among PTSD symptom clusters between men and women during the early post-trauma period.Method: We included n = 475 participants (57.5% self-identified women) who recently (≤2 months) experienced an interpersonal or motor vehicle potential traumatic event in the Netherlands. Past month PTSD symptoms were measured with the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) and composited according to the five-node PTSD symptom cluster dysphoric arousal model. We estimated the network as well as indices of centrality (strength and predictability) and assessed the stability of the modelled networks in subsamples of men (n = 202) and women (n = 273). We compared network structures using the Network Comparison Test (NCT).Results: Results largely demonstrated adequate correlation stability for the estimated network structures for women and men. For both men and women, avoidance symptoms were among the strongest nodes with greatest predictability in the networks. In men, anxious arousal additionally showed high strength whereas re-experiencing showed high predictability. In women, re-experiencing symptoms demonstrated both high strength and predictability. The NCT demonstrated nonsignificant differences in global network structure (M = 0.08, p = .054) and strength (S = .073, p = .067). Post hoc comparisons showed an association of re-experiencing symptoms with negative alterations in cognitions and mood in men but not women (E = .038, p = .005).Conclusion: Results demonstrated possible modest gender differences in aspects of network structure although most elements of the network structure were similar across genders. These results help to characterize gender differences in associations among PTSD symptom clusters during the early post-trauma period, which may inform the potential relevance of future gender-sensitive early intervention strategies to ameliorate the risk for long-term PTSD.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/20008066.2024.2448385PTSDtraumanetwork analysisgenderstressTEPT |
| spellingShingle | Line Rønning Rachel L. Zelkowitz Marilyn L. Piccirillo Jianlin Liu Jordan L. Thomas Jessy Guler J. Joana Kyei Chris M. Hoeboer Jeanet F. Karchoud Miranda Olff Anke B. Witteveen Mirjam van Zuiden Gender differences in early posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: a network analysis European Journal of Psychotraumatology PTSD trauma network analysis gender stress TEPT |
| title | Gender differences in early posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: a network analysis |
| title_full | Gender differences in early posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: a network analysis |
| title_fullStr | Gender differences in early posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: a network analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gender differences in early posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: a network analysis |
| title_short | Gender differences in early posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: a network analysis |
| title_sort | gender differences in early posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms a network analysis |
| topic | PTSD trauma network analysis gender stress TEPT |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/20008066.2024.2448385 |
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