Ethnicity Trauma Ethnicity and Post Traumatic Stress

Ethnicity Trauma

Ethnicity and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

It is a natural human response to suffer long-term emotional consequences from exposure to a traumatic event or sustained traumatic experiences. However, the incarnations of these long-term consequences exist on a widely variant spectrum. Among the wide array of factors that might be used to predict these consequences, ethnicity is among the most highly debated. So shows the article by Perilla et al. (2002), which addresses the concepts of differential exposure and differential vulnerability in illuminating the subject.

Perilla et al. indicate that one possible explanation for differing levels of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) according to ethnicity is the relationship between ethnicity and other sociological factors that might contribute to a comparatively more severe experience within the scope of a similar trauma. Particularly, the authors examine Hurricane Andrew's effects on a wide variance of populations in achieving a definition of differential exposure. They report that "differential exposure refers to the possibility that the eth- nic groups differed in the extent to which they were exposed to the more traumatic aspects of the hurricane. The poor, the less educated, and ethnic minorities are generally more likely to live in undesirable, at-risk areas and to reside in less safe and more vulnerable homes." (Perilla et al., p. 23)

This is distinct, they note, from differential vulnerability, which takes a broader view on the experience of ethnic minorities. This suggests that the larger set of difficulties experienced by these groups in the context of racially imbalanced cultures, societies and economies creates a generally more vulnerable psyche that when exposed to trauma is likelier to demonstrate more persistent cognitive dissonance. (Perilla et al., p. 23)

In either instance, the manner in which PTSD is experienced is couched not just in the ethnicity itself but in what is implicated by the ethnicity in the context of a culture, economy and society. That is to say that any number of differences manifested in the experiences of cultures persisting in racially hierarchical societies will be consequential to the psychological and emotional disposition of these whole cultures. Indeed, the research available on this subject beyond the discussion by Perilla et al. presents quite a complex and nuanced picture of trauma vulnerability. While it is asserted on one hand that one's ethnicity does not inherently predispose one to greater vulnerability to PTSD, there is statistically significant evidence that once exposed to trauma, certain ethnicities do experience a greater predisposition to responding with the associated disorder. According to Tull (2008), research conducted with more than 5000 respondents nationwide showed that "African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Native Americans tended to report having experienced fewer traumatic events as compared to European-Americans and Latinos. Despite this, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Native Americans were all more likely to develop PTSD after experiencing a traumatic event as compared to European-Americans and Latinos." (Tull, p. 1)

Even in the context of military combat, statistical differences persist which seem confirm the relevance of Differential Exposure.. According to Loo (2007), ethnic minorities in the military may be the victims of racial hierarchy even in this context, with differential exposure accounting for imbalances in the development of PTSD. Loo reports that "Both Hispanic and African-American male Vietnam theater Veterans had higher rates of PTSD than Whites. Rates of current PTSD in the 1990 study were 28% among Hispanics, 21% among African-Americans, and 14% among Whites (2)." (Loo, p. 1)