Date of Award
Spring 3-30-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Debra Oswald
Second Advisor
Astrida Kaugars
Third Advisor
John Grych
Abstract
Women have consistently been found to be at twice the risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than men. Despite this, the factors contributing to women’s elevated risk remain underexamined. Existing research indicates a positive association between sexist experiences and PTSD symptomatology, suggesting that women’s experiences with sexism may play an important role in explaining the gender disparity in PTSD prevalence. The current study aimed to examine whether women’s experiences with two types of sexism (lifetime experiences with sexism and benevolent sexism) predict the types of social reactions women receive when disclosing their experience with trauma. Additionally, this study investigated whether social reactions moderate the association between trauma history and PTSD symptom severity in women, while accounting for both lifetime and benevolent sexism. An online sample of 295 participants who self-identified as women was obtained. Participants completed measures capturing their experiences with sexism (lifetime and benevolent), trauma history, PTSD symptomatology, and social reactions to trauma disclosure. Linear multiple regression analyses found lifetime experiences with sexism and experiences with benevolent sexism to be significant predictors of negative social reactions to women’s disclosure of trauma, including turning against and unsupportive acknowledgment. However, social reactions did not moderate the relationship between trauma history and PTSD symptom severity. Notably, lifetime experiences with sexism consistently accounted for more variance in PTSD symptom severity than women’s reported trauma history. Together, these findings demonstrate that sexism plays a central role in shaping the social environment of women who have experienced trauma and may be a key factor in understanding gender disparities in PTSD.