Gender differences in trauma type but not PTSD symptoms among Latine Americans

Latine communities in the United States experience disproportionate exposure to trauma, yet gendered patterns of trauma and their relationship to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms remain understudied. This study used a primarily quantitative investigation using quantitative content analysis to examine gender differences in trauma type (i.e., specific violence experience) and PTSD symptoms among 297 Latine American adults (i.e., cismen and ciswomen) recruited through an online survey. A content analysis of open-ended trauma descriptions identified fourteen categories, which were consolidated into four for quantitative analyses: structural/systemic trauma and severe accidents, interpersonal violence and abuse, sexual assault and abuse, and health- and loss-related trauma. An independent-samples t-test indicated no significant gender differences in PTSD symptoms with a negligible effect size (d = 0.11). However, a chi-square test revealed that trauma type differed significantly by gender (Cramér's V = 0.25); Latinas reported more sexual/physical assault, while Latinos reported more health- and loss-related trauma. A 2 × 4 ANCOVA (controlling for generation status) showed that trauma type significantly predicted PTSD symptoms (partial η² = 0.036), whereas gender (partial η² = 0.002) and the gender × trauma interaction (η² = 0.009) were not significant. Interpersonal violence and abuse were associated with more PTSD symptoms than structural/systemic trauma. Generation status significantly predicted PTSD severity (partial η² = 0.043). These findings indicate that while PTSD severity may not differ by gender, gender is associated with differential exposure to trauma types, and trauma type, particularly interpersonal violence, is the primary predictor of PTSD symptom severity in this sample.