Research has sought to identify whether women have an increased risk of developing mental health problems following military trauma compared to men, but the results are mixed. This study examined gender differences in a range of mental health outcomes within three levels of war zone trauma exposure and investigated gender differences in risk and protective factors associated with clinical mental health problems. Using data from a cross-sectional, postdeployment survey, a sample of Norwegian veterans of recent military operations in Afghanistan (N = 6,205, 8.3% women) were sorted according to reported war zone trauma exposure level (low, medium, high), then assessed for symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), posttraumatic distress, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and alcohol problems. The findings revealed that men who reported low war zone exposure had lower levels of posttraumatic distress symptoms than women, d = -0.20, p = .040, but were more likely to report symptoms of alcohol problems within the low, d = 0.33, p < .001; medium, d = 0.39, p < .001; and high, d = 0.37, p = .049, exposure groups; however, these differences disappeared when all symptom variables were combined into one clinical mental health problem variable. Women with a clinical mental health problem were less likely to report war zone exposure than men, OR = 0.93, 95% CI [0.90, 0.97], p = .001. Findings suggest that although gender differences in mental health symptoms exist, male and female veterans with mental health problems may share more similarities than previously recognized.

中文翻译：

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遭受战区创伤的阿富汗退伍军人心理健康结果的性别差异

研究试图确定与男性相比，女性在经历军事创伤后出现心理健康问题的风险是否更高，但结果好坏参半。本研究考察了战区创伤暴露三个级别内一系列心理健康结果的性别差异，并调查了与临床心理健康问题相关的风险和保护因素的性别差异。使用来自部署后横断面调查的数据，根据报告的战区创伤暴露水平（低、中、高）对最近在阿富汗军事行动的挪威退伍军人样本（N = 6,205，8.3% 女性）进行排序，然后评估创伤后应激障碍 (PTSD)、创伤后痛苦、焦虑、抑郁、失眠和酗酒问题的症状。研究结果显示，报告低度战区暴露的男性的创伤后痛苦症状水平低于女性，d = -0.20，p = .040，但更有可能报告低度战区暴露的酒精问题症状，d = 0.33，p < .001；中等，d = 0.39，p < .001；高，d = 0.37，p = .049，暴露组；然而，当所有症状变量合并为一个临床心理健康问题变量时，这些差异就消失了。与男性相比，有临床心理健康问题的女性报告战区暴露的可能性较小，OR = 0.93，95% CI [0.90, 0.97]，p = .001。研究结果表明，尽管心理健康症状存在性别差异，但患有心理健康问题的男性和女性退伍军人可能比之前认识到的有更多相似之处。