Recent developments in understanding ethnocultural and race differences in trauma exposure and PTSD

Anu Asnaani; Brittany Hall-Clark

doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2016.12.005

Recent developments in understanding ethnocultural and race differences in trauma exposure and PTSD

Curr Opin Psychol. 2017 Apr:14:96-101. doi: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2016.12.005. Epub 2017 Jan 3.

Authors

Anu Asnaani¹, Brittany Hall-Clark²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety, University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market St., Suite 600N, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States. Electronic address: aasnaani@mail.med.upenn.edu.
² University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, United States.

PMID: 28813327
DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2016.12.005

Abstract

Our understanding of demographic specifications that put certain individuals at greater risk for trauma exposure and subsequent development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has grown significantly over the past few decades. This brief review specifically examines the studies exploring the potential influence of ethnocultural and racial group status on trauma exposure and PTSD, with a focus on findings published recently in the past five years. We first provide a brief review of current epidemiological data examining associations among ethnicity/culture/race and trauma exposure/PTSD. We then explore a few related constructs (namely, stigma, acculturation/ethnic identity, and discrimination) in relation to trauma exposure and PTSD, with a focus on what is currently known about how these variables are empirically related to one another.

Publication types

Review