Introduction: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been identified in Syrian refugees with prevalence rates ranging from 24% to 52% (e.g., Chung et al., 2017). According to the posttraumatic self hypothesis, trauma can reconfigure a person's inner world, distorting their self-concept and self-monitoring abilities (Wilson, 2006). However, no studies have investigated the relationships between trauma exposure, empty self, and fragmented self in the posttraumatic stress reactions of this population. Furthermore, despite the highlighted importance of examining gender differences in PTSD (Christiansen & Hansen, 2015), this aspect remains unexplored.
Purpose: This study aimed to investigate gender differences in the interrelationships between trauma exposure, empty self (subjective emptiness), and fragmented self (internal disconnection) among Syrian refugees.
Method: Four hundred and seventy-four (F=242, M=232) Syrian refugees were recruited via a humanitarian organisation in Jordan. Participants completed the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire, the General Health Questionnaire-28, the Subjective Emptiness Scale, and the Fragmented Self Inventory.
Results: Latent Profile Analysis revealed distinct gender-based profiles. For men, a three-profile model was optimal: Resilient, Minimal Distorted Self, and a group with Minimal Emptiness but High Fragmentation. The latter group reported the most severe PTSD and comorbid symptoms. For women, a four-profile model emerged, which included an additional profile for Fragmented individuals only. Women in both the Minimal Emptiness/High Fragmentation and the Fragmented-only profiles exhibited the highest levels of distress, reporting greater PTSD and comorbid symptoms than other profiles.
Conclusions: This study concludes that significant gender differences exist in trauma manifestation. The most distressed men were those experiencing high internal disconnection with little emptiness. In contrast, the most distressed women were those experiencing internal disconnection, irrespective of their level of emptiness. These findings underscore that profound psychological vulnerability can persist over a decade post-trauma and that internal self-fragmentation is a key factor, with its impact varying by gender.