PTSD is something that we as a public are used to associating with war veterans, victims of child abuse, sexual assault, spousal abuse and other things of that nature. While it’s common knowledge that women can develop post traumatic stress disorder as a result of domestic abuse from their male partner, new research is suggesting that men can also be traumatized by abuse from their female partner. Scientists agree that while the new findings are very preliminary as female on male spousal abuse is extremely underreported, experts still agree that this is a significant enough issue to warrant further research into prevention, care and treatment.
Why PTSD is Underreported in Men
Victims of domestic assault can often experience PTSD, depression and other mood disorders as a result of the attacks. Historically, domestic assault has been largely reported by women and is not always taken as seriously as it should be when reported by men. For example, female suspects accused of violence are far less likely to be taken into custody than a male suspect accused of the same exact crime. There is also a strong cultural bias in this country that promotes men not to report or admit that they have been victimized by abuse even when they experience serious physical injury as a result of it. Some men think that admitting that they have been abused implies weakness and others view it as a threat to their masculinity. All of these things said, it’s not terribly difficult to make the leap of a large population of men underreporting psychological symptoms and implications like PTSD as a result of being abused.
While 25 percent of women compared to 8 percent of men surveyed reported to be victims of a sexual or physical assault by a present day or former partner, the study found that men were just as likely as women to suffer from PTSD as a result of the domestic abuse. What’s important to note is that domestic abuse is not strictly physical. It can also be emotional and mental manipulation and intimidation in an attempt to control or coerce one’s partner. Recent studies have suggested that the psychological abuse men endured was equally responsible for contributing to PTSD as the physical violence was. Since women are much more likely to employ psychological abuse, this prompted researchers to explore more services and programs for men who were showing to be increasingly vulnerable to these difficult to identify attacks.
PTSD and addiction have a long and sordid past. Men suffering from PTSD are much more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol than men who are not. Due to the pressure from society placed on men to not admit when they have been abused by their partners, drugs and alcohol can feel like the only alternative to escape the trauma.
Destination Hope is a full service addiction treatment center in Florida for men with substance abuse issues and co-occurring illnesses like PTSD. Their expert care can put you back in control of your life. If you or a loved one is abusing drugs or alcohol in an attempt to cope with domestic abuse, please get in touch with the experts at Destination Hope immediately. Substance abuse will not fix your problems, it will only make them worse. Call us today at 1-877-380-9777 so we can help.
