Social support and (complex) posttraumatic stress symptom severity: does gender matter?

Natalia E. Fares-Otero, Tamsin H. Sharp, Stefanie R. Balle, Sarah M. Quaatz, Eduard Vieta, Fredrik Åhs, Antje Kathrin Allgaier, Adrián Arévalo, Rahel Bachem, Habte Belete, Tilahun Belete Mossie, Azi Berzengi, Necip Capraz, Deniz Ceylan, Daniel Dukes, Aziz Essadek, Naved Iqbal, Laura Jobson, Einat Levy-Gigi, Antonia LüöndChantal Martin-Soelch, Tanja Michael, Misari Oe, Miranda Olff, Helena Örnkloo, Krithika Prakash, Muniarajan Ramakrishnan, Vijaya Raghavan, Vedat Şar, Soraya Seedat, Georgina Spies, Vandhana SusilKumar, Dany Laure Wadji, Rachel Wamser-Nanney, Shilat Haim-Nachum, Ulrich Schnyder, Marie R. Sopp, Monique C. Pfaltz, Sarah L. Halligan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background: Perceived social support is an established predictor of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after exposure to a traumatic event. Gender is an important factor that could differentiate responses to social support, yet this has been little explored. Symptoms of complex PTSD are also common following trauma but have been under-researched in this context. Large scale studies with culturally diverse samples are particularly lacking.Objectives: In a multi-country sample, we examined: (a) gender differences in perceived social support and both posttraumatic stress symptom severity (PTSS) and complex posttraumatic stress symptom severity (CPTSS); (b) associations between social support and PTSS/CPTSS; and (c) the potential moderating role of gender in the relationship between perceived social support and trauma-related distress.Method: A total of 2483 adults (Mage = 30yrs, 69.9% females) from 39 countries, who had been exposed to mixed trauma types, completed the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and the International Trauma Questionnaire (which captures PTSS/CPTSS). Regression analyses examined associations between gender, perceived social support, and PTSS/CPTSS; and tested for gender by social support interactions in predicting PTSS/CPTSS scores. Models were adjusted for age and socioeconomic status.Results: In our cross-country sample, females had greater PTSS/CPTSS than males (B = .23 [95% CI 0.16, 0.30], p < .001; B = .20 [0.12, 0.27], p < .001; respectively), but there was no evidence of gender differences in perceived social support (B = .05 [-0.05, 0.16], p = .33). For both genders, low perceived social support was associated with higher PTSS/CPTSS (females: B = -.16 [-0.20, -0.12], p < .001; B = -.27 [-0.30, -0.24], p < .001; respectively; males: B = -.22 [-0.29, -0.15], p < .001; B = -.31 [-0.36, -0.26], p < .001; respectively), and for PTSS only we found weak evidence that this association was stronger for males vs. females (B = .07 [0.04, 0.14, p = .04).Conclusion: Individuals who feel more socially supported have lower trauma-related distress, and this association is similar in males and females. PTSD/CPTSD interventions may benefit from augmenting perceived social support, regardless of gender.

Original languageEnglish
Article number2398921
Number of pages1
JournalEuropean Journal of Psychotraumatology
Volume15
Issue number1
Early online date15 Oct 2024
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 15 Oct 2024

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from OSF at https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/nvejb.

Keywords

  • adultos
  • adults
  • apoyo social
  • complex PTSD
  • gender
  • género
  • PTSD
  • sex
  • sexo
  • social support
  • TEPT
  • TEPT complejo

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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