Do men and women react differently after trauma? Yes. Does it mean one suffers more than the other? No. Do the differences confuse and often create tension for couples? Too often.
The Differences 
What we find across cultures is that in the face of traumatic loss, women need to speak about what has happened and men need to do something about what has happened. In one scene from the devastation of the Tsunami in Sri Lanka in 2005, the women gathered, crying for their lost children while the men rebuilt the homes.
In their 2006 review of 25 years of research on sex differences in trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder in the Psychological Bulletin, David Tolin and Edna Foa reported that although men have a higher risk for traumatic events, women suffer from higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder. In their analysis they suggest that the different rates of PTSD may actually be a function of the fact that men and women manifest their emotional pain in different ways.
In the aftermath of a traumatic event, women are more likely to have feelings of anxiety and depression, while men are more likely to express distress and depression in terms of irritability, anger and increased alcohol consumption.
Couple Response
Caught in the physical and emotional pain from a traumatic loss or event, couples often have very little patience for differences. It is hard for them to believe that their partner could feel differently. It is even more difficult to believe that their partner could feel the same and react so differently.
When she suffered a miscarriage in the beginning of her fifth month, Claire was devastated. Then in her late 30s, she was worried that this might have been her only chance to have a child. Even when she regained her strength, she was often unable to concentrate or sleep. She would ruminate and blame herself for waiting until her career was set before starting a family.
Claire was further upset by her husband John’s reaction. He was upset by the loss but he seemed confident that there would be other chances. Claire wondered why he wasn’t blaming himself for their decision to wait to have kids. When she questioned him about this, he felt judged and blamed her for making it worse. They would end up fighting.
According to Dr. John Gray of Mars and Venus Starting Over, in the aftermath of loss, both men and women need time to grieve. As such, it is often more common for women to blame themselves and for men to blame others.
Differences Don’t Equate to Lack of Love
If you find yourself struggling with your partner in the aftermath of a traumatic event, it does not mean that you don’t have a good relationship, or that you were never truly in love.
- Traumatic events are beyond what we ever expect. No one is prepared to respond.
- Differences in response don’t mean that as a couple you won’t cope or can’t heal.
If you take your time, and give yourself and your partner a chance to grieve, cope and regulate stress in your own way and different ways, you will be able to use your relationship as an asset for coping.
- She joins a bereavement group at the church.
- He increases his workout schedule.
- She doesn’t want to socialize on the weekends; but he needs to get out—They settle on a movie date together.
Couple Considerations for Coping
- Everyone deals with trauma in their own way and in their own time – there is no right way.
- When in doubt don’t assume the worst about your partner- assume you don’t know.
- Interest and acceptance of your partner’s reactions invite sharing and empathy, which enhance healing.
- Being physically next to someone you love is a natural buffer for stress and emotional pain.
- Talking about the pain at times for her, valuing the shared silence for him—reflects the resilience of connection.
Sometimes the best traveling companion in life is someone who sees and reacts to things in a way you never would have considered…
Listen in as John Gray discusses Male and Female Differences on Psych Up, Cosozo Radio