Gender differences in the prevalence of childhood sexual abuse and in the development of pediatric PTSD

Summary

Despite an extensive literature on the links between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), our knowledge on the effects of gender in relation to the risks for sexual victimization and subsequent PTSD is limited. We review current knowledge of gender differences in prevalence of CSA and the role of gender in subsequent development of child and adolescent PTSD with specific attention to rates, phenomenology, biological correlates, and risk factors. Despite the heavy bias toward female representation in studies, the literature supports increased rates of CSA and heightened vulnerability to PTSD in girls, as well as possible gender differences in the biological correlates and psychiatric sequelae of CSA. Further work is needed to explore the mechanisms that underlie these differences.