There are known sex differences in the rates of trauma exposure, as well as PTSD and alcohol dependence diagnoses (Beals et al., 2013; Boudoukha, Ouagazzal, & Goutaudier, 2017; Chung & Breslau, 2008; Erol & Karpyak, 2015). For example, men are more likely to be exposed to trauma during their lifetime, but less likely to meet criteria for PTSD compared to women (Kessler, Sonnega, Bromet, Hughes, & Nelson, 1995). This could potentially be due to the increased likelihood of women experiencing recurring, high impact traumatic exposures (e.g., childhood sexual assault, physical abuse) (Hien, Cohen, & Campbell, 2005). Further, women with lifetime alcohol dependence are more likely to report lifetime PTSD than men (Kessler et al., 1997). These findings further underscore the need to consider the role of trauma type as well as sex when examining the relationship between PTSD and alcohol dependence.
