Stress and trauma, ubiquitous experiences, have long been associated with disproportionally detrimental psychiatric outcomes for women and girls, for example anxiety and mood disorders among others. The underlying mechanisms of this risk appear to include a complex biopsychosocial interaction. Neuroendocrine underpinnings of stress sensitivity during the reproductive years, gendered cognitive processing and coping strategies, and the social and personal consequences of gender roles are intertwined. Better understanding of these mechanisms, and their interactions, for women and girls across development may lead to better, more targeted assessment and intervention practices. Indeed, consideration of sex as a biological variable (SABV) in the elucidation of risk, recovery, and resilience has been called for, and the need for sex-and gender-specific practices with women and girls acknowledged. However, lack of research including SABV in the study of psychiatric consequences of stress and trauma or employing a bio-psycho-social approach studying women and girls outside the perinatal period, precludes informing such targeted practices.
The goal of this Research Topic is to present novel data, evaluate existing literature, and discuss the biological, psychological, and social aspects of psychiatric outcomes of stress and trauma among women and girls. These aspects may include mechanisms of risk and resilience but also mechanisms of recovery and therapeutic change. An emphasis for interactions between biological, psychological and social factors is encouraged. In addition, the consideration of developmental salience of specific mechanisms is sought. We aim to provide a comprehensive bio-psycho-social framework of risk, resilience and recovery following exposure to stress and trauma among women and girls. From this model we aim to draw conclusions and recommendations for sex-, gender-, and developmentally-informed practice.
Manuscripts detailing Original Research, Review, Clinical Trial, Methods, etc. are all welcome, including basic, translational, and clinical research.
• Biobehavioral models of risk for stress-related disorders among females: from basics to clinical.
• Gender as a psychosocial variable: Exposure to, and impact of, stress and trauma on women and girls .
• Stress related disorders across development.
• Stress and the reproductive cycle: from menarche to menopause.
• Impact of the developmental timing of stress and trauma exposure: When, what, how?
• Ameliorating the effect of stress and trauma: the road to recovery.
• Transdiagnostic risk and protective factors for understanding the implications of trauma on women’s emotional wellbeing.
• Stress and trauma and their impact on women belonging to marginalized populations.
• Racism and discrimination, stress, and health.
• High functioning women with a history of trauma: an invisible scar.
• Stress, trauma and disease among women: Somatic impact of experience.