Gender Differences in the Symptomatology of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among Syrian Refugees Settled in a Camp in Turkey.

BACKGROUND

This study firstly described gender differences in traumatic experiences and the symptomatology and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), among Syrian refugees settled in a camp in Turkey. Secondly, we aimed to discuss the reasons for gender differences, by comparing with the studies conducted on these Syrian refugees of the same culture who are the victims of the same war in their new settlement where they had been forced to migrate.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional study was carried out on 352 refugees, randomly selected from a single settlement. The diagnosis of PTSD was performed using face-to-face psychiatric interviews according to the DSM-IV-TR criteria. The Stressful Life Events Screening Questionnaire and a sociodemographic history form were administered to all participants. We compared our results with other PTSD studies on Syrian Refugees.

RESULTS

Men were exposed to traumatic events 1.29 times more frequently than women. However, the prevalence of PTSD was significantly higher in women (44.1%) than in men (18.1%), with a prevalence of 30.7% in the overall sample. While symptoms of intrusion and avoidance/numbing were more prevalent in women with PTSD, there was no difference in symptoms of hypervigilance between genders. However, women reported a higher prevalence of fear response to traumatic events.

CONCLUSIONS

Female refugees may be more prone than men to develop PTSD, although both genders shared the same traumatic environment in the early post-traumatic periods. The higher frequency of intrusion and avoidance/numbing may originate from an increased tendency of anxiety structural dissociation among women, alongside possibly higher peritraumatic dissociation, which may be also boosted by the higher ongoing perception of threat among female refugees. The possible role of peritraumatic and ongoing dissociation in PTSD should be taken into consideration for further research, particularly among populations under ongoing threat.