Open AccessRelations Among Gender, Violence Exposure, and Mental Health: The National Survey of Adolescents
Author(s) -
Hanson Rochelle F.,
SelfBrown Shan,
Borntrager Cameo,
Kilpatrick Dean G.,
Saunders Benjamin E.,
Resnick Heidi S.,
Amstadter Ananda
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
american journal of orthopsychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.959
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1939-0025
pISSN - 0002-9432
DOI - 10.1037/a0014056
Subject(s) - mental health , psychology , psychological intervention , occupational safety and health , clinical psychology , poison control , injury prevention , suicide prevention , sexual violence , human factors and ergonomics , sexual abuse , domestic violence , psychiatry , medicine , environmental health , criminology , pathology
Using a nationally representative sample of 4.008 adolescents, this study examines gender differences in violence exposure, major depressive episode (MDE) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and characteristics of violence incidents. It was hypothesized that there would be gender differences in the types of violence exposure reported and in the prevalence of MDE and PTSD and that gender would moderate the relationship between violence exposure and mental health outcomes. Results indicated significant gender differences in rates of violence exposure, PTSD, and MDE. Additionally, gender was a moderating variable in the relation between sexual assault and PTSD, but not in the other violence exposure‐mental health relations examined. It thus appears that the pathways for developing PTSD may be different for male and female victims of sexual abuse. Implications for interventions and future research are discussed.