Why 78% of Autoimmune Diseases Happen to Women and How People-Pleasing Plays a Role

The Hidden Connection Between Trauma and the Body

Autoimmune diseases are rising worldwide. Conditions like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s, and multiple sclerosis affect millions. But here’s the striking fact: around 78% of autoimmune diseases occur in women (Research).

That number isn’t random. Research shows women’s immune systems are more reactive, but there’s also a cultural and psychological piece: women are trained from childhood to carry invisible weight.

As a former CPTSD therapist and now Cycle Breaker Coach, I’ve seen firsthand how trauma responses like people-pleasing don’t just shape relationships; they shape health. Because CPTSD doesn’t live only in the mind. It lives in the body.

Why Autoimmune Diseases Affect Women More

Autoimmune disease happens when the body’s defense system mistakes its own tissues as threats and begins to attack itself.

Reasons women are more affected include:

• Biology: Estrogen and X-chromosome factors influence immune reactivity.

• Stress & Trauma: Chronic nervous system activation weakens immunity.

• Cultural Conditioning: Women are raised to prioritize others, silence anger, and overextend.

  
  

Stress that never gets released doesn’t just live in your head; it shows up in your cells, your hormones, and your immune system.

The 4 People-Pleaser Types That Fuel Autoimmune Stress

From my years of CPTSD work, I’ve seen the same survival roles again and again. I call them the four people-pleaser types: the Fawner, the Fixer, the Fleer, and the Fortress. Each type is a trauma response that piles stress onto the body, fueling autoimmunity risk.

1. The Fawner – The Caretaker and Peacemaker

The Fawner always puts others first, saying yes when she means no. She’s the emotional caretaker in every room.

Research connection: Caretaking and self-silencing are linked to higher inflammation, a key factor in autoimmune disease.

2. The Fixer – The Duty-Driven One

The Fixer lives by role, duty, and responsibility. She takes on burdens that don’t belong to her, because she feels she has to.

Research connection: This over-responsibility creates a chronic stress load, which wears down the immune system over time.

3. The Fleer – The “Nice” One Who Avoids Conflict

The Fleer avoids conflict at all costs. She swallows anger, stays quiet when something isn’t okay, and disappears emotionally to keep the peace.

Research connection: Anger repression leads to immune dysregulation. When emotions are suppressed, the body pays the price.

4. The Fortress – The Emotional Manager

The Fortress believes she’s responsible for everyone else’s feelings. She manages moods, avoids disappointing others, and builds walls around herself.

Research connection: Emotional over-responsibility leads to burnout and worse long-term health outcomes.

Why This Shows Up in Women More Than Men

This isn’t about fragility. It’s about conditioning.

From a young age, women are told to:

• Carry emotional labor

• Smile through pain

• Put duty before desire

• Avoid being “too much” or “too angry”

  
  

These cultural rules trap women in survival roles like Fawner, Fixer, Fleer, and Fortress. And when you live like this for years, your nervous system stays stuck in overdrive. Eventually, the body says enough. And when it does, it doesn’t whisper. It screams.

Breaking the Cycle: From CPTSD to Healing

The good news: survival roles are learned, and they can be unlearned.

• The Fawner can set boundaries without guilt.

• The Fixer can stop carrying responsibility that isn’t hers.

• The Fleer can express anger safely and truthfully.

• The Fortress can let go of managing other people’s feelings.

  
  

Breaking these trauma-driven cycles doesn’t just change your relationships. It changes your health. Every boundary you set, every truth you speak, every moment you choose yourself teaches your nervous system that you’re safe. And when the nervous system calms, the body begins to heal.

Action Step for Today

Ask yourself: Which role do I play the most, Fawner, Fixer, Fleer, or Fortress?

Or Take this free test.

Then take one small action today to step out of that role:

• Say no instead of automatic yes.

• Let someone else solve their own problem.

• Speak one truth without apologizing.

• Allow someone else to feel their feelings without fixing them.

  
  

Small changes like these rewire the nervous system, and reduce the stress that drives illness.

FAQ: Autoimmune Disease and People-Pleasing

Q: Why do 78% of autoimmune diseases happen to women?

A: Biology plays a role (hormones, genetics), but cultural conditioning pushes women into roles that create chronic stress, which weakens immunity.

Q: Is people-pleasing linked to autoimmune disease?

A: Research connects patterns like self-silencing, anger repression, and over-responsibility with inflammation, stress load, and immune dysregulation, all risk factors for autoimmunity.

Q: What are the four types of people-pleasers?

A: The Fawner (caretaker), Fixer (duty-driven), Fleer (conflict avoider), and Fortress (emotional manager). Each role creates stress that affects the body.

If you see yourself in these patterns, remember this: you’re not broken. You adapted to survive. But now, you get to choose to live differently.

Want to know which type of people-pleaser you are, Fawner, Fixer, Fleer, or Fortress, and the first step to breaking free before it breaks you?

Take my free quiz HERE.

Your body deserves more than survival.

It deserves freedom.