Migration
Women handle combat stress as well as men, new study shows
Stars and Stripes
June 9, 2011
U.S. Army Spc. Rebecca Buck, a medic from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, provides perimeter security outside an Iraqi police station in the Tarmiya Province of Iraq, March 30, 2008. (William Greer/Courtesy U.S. Air Force)
When it comes to handling the mental health effects of a deployment to a war zone, gender has very little to do with it. At least that's what a new study released this week is suggesting, according to a Huffington Post report.
The report is based on an article in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology that says women are just as resilient to the effects of combat stress as men.
The study focuses on a survey of nearly 600 veterans. Researchers tracked stress measures such as whether soldiers had fired a weapon or witnessed injuries or death. They then crossed the responses with four post-deployment outcomes -- post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, substance abuse and mental health functioning, the report said.
And researchers were surprised at the results. According to Linda DePauw, a professor of history at George Washington University and an expert on women and the military, the idea that women might be somehow less adept at coping with combat stressors is "clearly false."
Read more about women and combat stress by the Huffington Post.