**3.2 Gender differences in posttraumatic stress disorder in the military**

Posttraumatic stress disorder has been known to develop following a broad range of traumatic situations. Due to this chapter's focus on combat related posttraumatic stress disorder this section will only present traumatic situations that are commonly experienced by those in the military. Some of the more common trauma experiences include: combat situations where the soldier felt as though their life was in danger or witnessed the death or threatened death of another person, seeing dead bodies or mutilated body parts during an assignment, or sexual assault while in the military. Men experience posttraumatic stress disorder as a result of combat situations more frequently than women because women are not permitted to have infantry positions. Women are more likely to experience sexual assault, which is unfortunately a frequent occurrence in the military (Williams & Bernstein, 2011).
