A critique of the PTSD definition of trauma from a woman's perspective

M.A.This study was conducted in light of several feminist texts that have critiqued the diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder in the DSM-IV-TR. These texts have argued that the current criteria, particularly Criterion A, are gender-biased and exclude many of the kinds of life events that are unique to women. This study sought to conduct an in-depth exploration of life events that do not meet the DSM-IV-TR‟s Criterion A but that nevertheless precipitated all of the other manifestations of PTSD. For the purpose of this study, two gender-specific traumatic events were selected, namely childbirth and miscarriage or stillbirth. A feminist and phenomenological approach was taken and the study was formulated as a critique of the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria of PTSD. The research question was formulated as follows: Should the Criterion A definition of a traumatic event be expanded to include any experience that an individual defines as traumatic? A semi-structured interview was conducted with three participants complying with the specific population criteria. The interviews were transcribed and analysed through qualitative data analysis processes. The research methodology and analysis processes needed to be adapted due to the phenomenological nature of the research study. A comparison between the symptoms presented by the participants and the diagnostic criteria of PTSD, revealed that all three participants complied with all the DSM-IV-TR criteria except for Criterion A(1) and therefore could not be formally diagnosed with PTSD. It was also revealed that the women‟s experiences and reactions to the traumatic events were very similar, especially the fear caused due to feeling out of control. Therefore it was concluded that the essence of the traumatic experience was loss of control. The research question was positively answered, because it was concluded that each individual experiences events differently due to internal perceptions and the individualised meanings which are allocated to the event. Therefore the Criterion A definition of a traumatic event should be expanded to include any experience that an individual defines as traumatic