Women experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at higher rates than men. Researchers have looked for explanations of this difference. Until recently, they have been unable to identify contextual factors including rates of sexual assault, prior mental health conditions, or gender differences in symptom reporting biases.
The Counseling Psychologist published an article titled Sexist Microaggressions: Traumatic Stressors Mediated by Self Compassion and presented how our understanding has changed. There is a clearly built empirical foundation that links the systemic oppression of women and the resulting impact on women’s mental health, including PTSD.
This article offers more specific information on the data, links, and detrimental impacts of everyday sexism. The research findings presented support our understanding that sexist microaggressions are a major contributor to trauma symptomatology. Sexist microaggressions are a form of oppression-based trauma.
In addition, it presents an overview of Sexism-Based Traumatic Stress (SBTS), a form of identity-based trauma that results in psychological injury. This form of injury undermines self-compassion, and may create negative changes in self-regard, sense of worth and value. This supports our general everyday knowledge that women often struggle with these issues for no outwardly appearing reason.
Gender discrimination has been observed and studied as a known continuous, pervasive, lifelong trauma for females. Studies support the hypothesis that discrimination has made women more vulnerable to PTSD, complex PTSD, depression, anxiety, and has contributed to a higher comorbidity with other mental and physical health disorders. The intersectionality of racial discrimination and interpersonal trauma for black women has also been found to contribute to PTSD.
One of the most cited multicultural scholars, Dr. Derald Wing Sue in his book, Microaggressions in Everyday Life supports the idea that the cumulative effects of the sexist microaggressions endured by women has long been attributed to this mental health inequity. He states that “daily sexist microaggressions immerse women in a sea of discriminatory messages causing an accumulative strain.” He lists the many ways sexism harms women including contributing to depression, anxiety, stress, body image, eating disorders, self-esteem, identity, performance, standard of living and physical health outcomes.
As the Counseling Psychology study points out, given the evidence supporting that sexism functions as an everyday traumatic stressor, and creates trauma symptomatology, this may be the answer that researchers have sought in the higher rates of PTSD in women.
The findings also indicate that SBTS may be present in clients experiencing trauma symptomatology. The authors suggest that when women have trauma symptoms, but do not meet DSM Criterion A, or “exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence…” then clinicians may consider assessing for experience with sexist microaggressions.