In the general population, women exhibit a greater lifetime prevalence of PTSD (18.3 percent in women compared to 10.2 percent in men). Men have a greater risk than women for developing PTSD symptoms of irritability and impulsiveness; whereas, women are twice as likely as men to have depression and anxiety disorders associated with PTSD. Reasons for these gender differences in the prevalence and nature of PTSD are currently being researched. The literature has few studies on gender differences in the experience and understanding of trauma by police officers; however, recent research suggests that female officers' baseline rate of work-related stress may compound their trauma reaction to events such as the World Trade Center attacks. Recent research has shown that female police officers may experience added work stress associated with working in a male-dominated environment where they are constantly exposed to the belief that female officers perform less effectively than male officers. This work climate adds to the stress that female officers, along with male officers, experience in the course of their work. Female New York City police officers reported (Wilczak, 2002) the presence of pre-September 11th stressors related to being females in the department. Women officers are particularly reluctant to seek counseling in the management of stress, due to the fear that this would reinforce male officers' belief that women are not tough enough to handle police work. Consequently, women officers often deprive themselves of ways to deal constructively with stressful work-related experiences. 37 references