A study from Stanford University in the USA [suggests / suggesting] that very stressful events affect the brains of boys and girls in [difference / different] ways. Researchers say that girls suffer [many / more] after traumatic events and are more [likely / likeable] to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They also say that because of this, girls and boys should be treated [differently / different] by doctors during the [recover / recovery] process from PTSD. Lead researcher Dr Megan Klabunde said: "It is important [what / that] people who work with traumatised youth [consider / considering] the sex differences. Our findings suggest it is [possible / possibility] that boys and girls could exhibit different trauma symptoms and that they might [benefit / beneficial] from different approaches to treatment."
The research [focused / focus] on a part of the brain that deals with emotions and empathy, [calling / called] the insula. The smaller the insula, the more likely it is that someone will suffer [for / from] PTSD. Researchers discovered that the insula was [particular / particularly] small in girls who had gone through a [traumatic / trauma] event. It was larger than [unusual / usual] in boys who had experienced a [distress / distressing] , shocking or frightening event. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental disorder that can [development / develop] after traumatic events, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, or threats [on / at] a person's life. Symptoms may include disturbing or suicidal thoughts, nightmares related to the events, and [alterations / altercations] to how a person thinks and feels.
