**1. Introduction**

142 Post Traumatic Stress Disorders in a Global Context

Stone, L. B., Gibb, B. E., & Coles, M. E. (2010). Does the hopelessness theory account for sex

Swaab, D. F., Fliers, E., Hoogendijk, W. J., Veltman, D. J., & Zhou, J. N. (2000). Interaction of

Tamres, L. K., Janicki, D., & Helgeson, V. S. (2002). Sex differences in coping behavior: A

Taylor, S. E. (2006). Tend-and-befriend: Biobehavioral bases of affiliation under stress.

Taylor, S. E., Klein, L. C., Lewis, B. P., Gruenewald, T. L., Gurung, R. A. R., & Updegraff, J.

Taylor, S. E., Lewis, B. P., Gruenewald, T. L., Gurung, R. A. R., Updegraff, J. A., & Klein, L.

Tolin D. F. & Foa, E. B. (2008). Sex differences in trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder:

Van der Kolk, B. A. (2007). The history of trauma in psychiatry. In Friedman, M. J., Keane, T. M., & Resick, P. A., pp. 19-36, Handbook of PTSD. Guilford: New York. Veith, R. C., Lewis, N., Linares, O. A., Barnes, R. F., Raskind, M. A., Villacres, E. C.,

Wizemann, T. M. & Pardue, M.-L. (Eds.). (2001). Committee on Understanding the Biology

Westenbroek, C., Ter Horst, G. J., Roos, M. H., Kuipers, S. D., Trentani, A., & den Boer, J. A.

Zeidner, M. (2006). Gender group differences in coping with chronic terror: The Israeli

Zetsche, U., Ehring, T., & Ehlers, A. (2009). The effects of rumination on mood and intrusive

Zlotnick, C., Zimmerman, M., Wolfsdorf, B. A., & Mattia, J. I. (2001). Gender differences in

*Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 40*(4), 499-514.

*American Journal of Psychiatry, 158*(11), 1923-1925.

*Current Directions in Psychological Science, 15*(6), 273-277.

fight-or-flight. *Psychological Review, 107*(3), 411-429.

Flinn (2002). *Psychological Review, 109*(4), 751-753.

*Research, 34,*177–187.

*Progress in Brain Research, 126*, 369-396.

*Psychology Review, 6*(1), 2-30.

*Practice, and Policy, S(1)*, 37–85.

*General Psychiatry, 51,* 411-422.

scene. *Sex Roles, 54(3/4),* 297-310.

Press. Washington, DC.

differences in depressive symptoms among young adults? *Cognitive Therapy* 

prefrontal cortical and hypothalamic systems in the pathogenesis of depression.

meta-analytic review and an examination of relative coping. *Personality and Social* 

A. (2000). Biobehavioral responses to stress in females: Tend-and-befriend, not

C. (2002). Sex differences in biobehavioral responses to threat: Reply to Geary and

A quantitative review of 25 years of research, *Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research,* 

Murburg, M. M., Ashleigh, E. A., Castillo, S., Peskind, E. R., Pascualy, M., & Halter, J. B. (1994). Sympathetic nervous system activity in major depression: Basal and desipramine-induced alterations in plasma norepinephrine kinetics. *Archives of* 

of Sex and Gender Differences, Board on Health Sciences Policy. *Exploring the biological contributions to human health: Does sex matter?* The National Academies

(2003). Gender-specific effects of social housing in rats after chronic mild stress exposure. *Progress in Neuro-psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 27*(1), 21-30.

memories after exposure to traumatic material: An experimental study. *Journal of* 

patients with posttraumatic stress disorder in a general psychiatric practice.

Disasters, both natural and man-made, affect millions of people around the world every year. Natural disasters (e.g., earthquakes and hurricanes) and man-made disasters (e.g., traffic accidents, acts of terrorism and wars) can cause mental trauma with long-lasting consequences (Chou et al., 2005; Chou et al., 2007). The impact of a mass disaster or man-made trauma on the individual is a composite of two major elements: the catastrophic event itself and the vulnerability of those people affected by the event. To this end, post-disaster survivors need specific, systemic evaluation and management (Sapir, 1993).
