Stress coping behaviors and posttraumatic stress symptomology among military personnel with a history of sexual trauma

Purpose: This study 1) examines the relationship between avoidant (e.g., sleep) and constructive (e.g., problem-solving) stress coping behaviors and PTS symptomology among military personnel with a history of sexual trauma and 2) identifies gender differences therein. Methods: This study utilizes data from the 2011 Health Related Behaviors (HRB) Survey of Active Duty Military Personnel, the largest anonymous, population-based health survey of active duty military personnel (n=39,877). The sample was stratified by service, gender, and pay grade, and participants completed the survey questionnaire online. Results: Among the 9.2% of male and 42.0% of female personnel who reported experiencing sexual trauma, 11.6% and 10.2%, respectively, reported high PTS symptomology levels. After controlling for service, pay grade, race, marital status, and combat exposure, four OLS regression analyses were conducted – two for each gender, for avoidant and constructive coping. Avoidant coping was associated with an increased risk of PTS for both males (B = .462, 99%CI[.393,.531]) and females (B = .353, 99%CI[.301,.404]). Conversely, constructive coping served as a protective factor against PTS, with a stronger relationship for females (B = -.353, 99%CI[-.408,-.298]) than males (B = -.193, 99%CI[-.273,-.113]). Conclusions: Avoidant coping strategies increased the likelihood, whereas constructive coping strategies decreased the likelihood, of experiencing PTS. However, the protective effect of constructive coping was greater for females than males. These findings suggest that practitioners working with these populations may want to specifically target avoidant and constructive coping to reduce PTS symptomology and also indicate the need to explore additional gender-specific constructive coping strategies.