Most military veterans report cases of stress and depression after returning from the war due to traumatic incidences encountered on the battlefield ( Nissen et al., 2017) . Today, post-traumatic disorder is reported to be the top health problem facing military people ( Haskell et al., 2010) . According to Ghaffarzadegan, Ebrahimvandi, & Jalali (2016), i n the military context, about 11% to 20% of veterans are diagnosed with PTSD. The government and families of the military spend a lot of money in PTSD therapies. According to Nissen et al. (2017), s ome of the risk factors that contribute to the development of PTSD among veterans include low education, female gender, non-officer rank, adverse life events, and prior exposure to trauma. The research was conducted among retired military and those who have returned from battlefields to find their susceptibility on PTSD. The research findings from the interview, questionnaires, and previous literature review studies show that PTSD among military veterans affects gender differently. Based on past research conducted by Street, Vogt & Dutra, (2009), women soldiers have a higher susceptibility to post-trauma disorder than men. The results support the hypothesis that female military operatives are more susceptible to PSTD more than male military personnel.
Various research conducted shows that women have a high susceptibility to stress and depression than men. Research conducted by Haskel et al. (2010) on civilians shows that women have a higher possibility of developing PTSD than men. According to Nissen et al. (2017), women have a higher chance of developing PTSD since their coping capability is low. On the other hand, Men have a higher ability to cope with tough situations and difficulties experienced in life, especially during wars.
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Veterans' soldiers report cases of developing PTSD resulting from exposure to tough situations during the war. Development of PTSD among military differs across gender. Women veterans who are deployed to war in Iraq and Afghanistan reveal higher cases of depression, m ilitary sexual trauma ( MST) and PTSD ( Haskell et al., 2010) . Research conducted by Street et al. (2009) shows a difference in gender development of PTSD with women military more vulnerable to PTSD and depression. In another research conducted by Nissen et al. (2017), the female gender was considered among the significant factors of PTSD in military veterans. In another research conducted by Haskell et al. (2010) among military veterans coming from Iraq and Afghanistan war, results show that women have high chances of testing positive for depression and MST while men have a high probability of testing positive for PTSD and obesity.
Veterans Affairs Research Communications (2015 ) conducted research to determine gender differences in developing PTSD among defense and veterans. The study was conducted on more than 200,000 participants. From the participants, 2,300 men and women revealed features of PTSD after a seven-year follow-up on the participants. Results from the cohort study show a significant difference in the development of PTSD among the military of the genders. From the research findings, there was a slight difference in the occurrence of PTSD with women registering the highest percentage 6.7 while men registered 6.1%. The research supports the hypothesis that women veterans are more vulnerable to MS, depression, and PTSD compared to men.
The study aimed to determine gender difference in the development of PTSD among military veterans. The study was conducted among 221 participants comprising of 100 women and 101 male military. The data was analyzed using inferential statistics, of veterans receiving health care at VA healthcare center between 2005 and 2009. The research shows that women veterans are at a higher risk of developing PTSD compared to men veterans. The findings show there is a slightly significant difference in the development of PTSD where women are more vulnerable. Instead of focusing on medication to treat PTSD, the government and healthcare sector need to focus on Nonpharmacological treatment, primarily cognitive behavior therapy. Therefore, there is a necessity to initiate and perpetuate future studies in the field of psychology on the varying effect of PTSD based on ages and branch of services (Xue et al., 2015). Although the study has focused on the gender difference in the development of PTSD among veterans, there is a need to investigate resilience and other positive aspects that women military gain when participating in wars. Such studies will have a favorable implication on the growing number of women veterans and also those willing to join the forces in the future. Another vital area that needs to be studied is thrust for future research on a more proximal mechanism in the development and combating PTSD to protect military personnel. Another critical prospective research that will enhance the handling of veterans will be the development of effective nursing interventions to prevent and treat PTSD among veterans. The response should focus more on nurses who are deployed to war zones to preempt PTSD. Further, there will be needs to investigate the impact of military service on the presence of other psychiatric disorders apart from PTSD and the influence of the diseases on veterans medical conditions.
References
Haskell, S. G., Gordon, K. S., Mattocks, K., Duggal, M., Erdos, J., Justice, A., & Brandt, C. A. (2010). Gender differences in rates of depression, PTSD, pain, obesity, and military sexual trauma among Connecticut war veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Journal of Women's Health , 19 (2), 6.
Ghaffarzadegan, N., Ebrahimvandi, A., & Jalali, M. S. (2016). A dynamic model of post-traumatic stress disorder for military personnel and veterans. PloS one , 11 (10), e0161405.
Nissen, L. R., Karstoft, K. I., Vedtofte, M. S., Nielsen, A. B., Osler, M., Mortensen, E. L., ... & Andersen, S. B. (2017). Cognitive ability and risk of post-traumatic stress disorder after military deployment: an observational cohort study. BJPsych open, 3(6), 274-280.
Street, A. E., Vogt, D., & Dutra, L. (2009). A new generation of women veterans: Stressors faced by women deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Clinical Psychology Review , 29 (8), 685-694.
Veterans Affairs Research Communications. (2015). Women warriors at no greater risk for PTSD than men, study finds. Science Daily . Retrieved from https://www.sciencedaily.com/2015/08/150820185912.htm
Xue, C., Ge, Y., Tang, B., Liu, Y., Kang, P., Wang, M., & Zhang, L. (2015). A meta-analysis of risk factors for combat-related PTSD among military personnel and veterans. PloS one , 10 (3), e0120270.
