Adverse Race-Related Events as a Risk Factor for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Asian American Vietnam Veterans

Abstract

Few studies have explored the relationship between exposure to adverse race-related events and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study examined whether adverse race-related events can give rise to symptoms that meet the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis as specified in the DSM-IV. Three hundred Asian American Vietnam veterans were administered a Mississippi Scale and a questionnaire that assessed exposure to adverse race-related events in the military and associated PTSD symptoms. A subsample was administered the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale. A majority of the participants (77%) reported exposure to adverse race-related events. Depending on the number of events to which they were exposed, between 13% and 36% reported symptoms consistent with meeting full criteria for PTSD. Mississippi Scale scores increased significantly as a function of frequency of exposure to adverse race-related events. These results converge with the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale findings to demonstrate that adverse race-related events can be traumatic and associated with PTSD. These findings support the construct and convergent validity of race-related PTSD.

Differences in State Anxiety Responses to Combat Pictures between Young Adult Israeli Jews and Israeli Palestinian Arabs

“…(Hagerty & Williams, 1999;Sargent, Williams, Hagerty, Lynch-Sauer, & Hoyle, 2002). These results coincide with previous research knowledge emphasizing that belonging to a minority group is one of the risk factors for mental illness after experiencing a traumatic event (Loo, Fairbank, & Chemtob, 2005;Norris et al, 2002;Palinkas, Petterson, Russel, & Downs, 1993). Moreover, social psychology research has demonstrated that threatened individuals and groups usually cope with threat by developing hostile attitudes toward out-groups, attempting to reduce their relative power and supporting actions that potentially harm out-group members in various ways (Maddux, Galinsky, Cuddy, & Polifroni, 2008;Rios-Morrison & Ybarra 2008;Pettigrew, 2003).…”

Severity of Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Versus Noncombat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

“…Beals et al (2002) observed that exposure to atrocities was highly associated with higher PTSD prevalence rates in American Indian combat veterans. Loo has recently reported adverse race-related events as a risk factor for PTSD among Asian American veterans of Vietnam (Loo et al, 2005). We did not collect data on combat-related atrocities or racerelated events as contributors to PTSD severity, but these findings suggest that future studies of these factors is warranted as a means of understanding the greater severity of combat-related PTSD.…”

Ethnoracial Minority Background, Psychological Trauma, PTSD, and DESNOS Among Urban Low-Income Women with Severe Mental Illness

“…Latinos (and possibly African Americans) are at greater risk than European Americans for PTSD, but this may be because of differential exposure to psychological trauma, including prior traumas that are infrequently assessed in PTSD clinical or epidemiological studies (e.g., Eisenman, Gelberg, Liu, & Shapiro, 2003), or to poverty and socioeconomic deprivation (e.g., Turner & Lloyd, 2004) associated with class as well as racial discrimination (Ford, 2008). However, the few studies that have empirically studied these questions have mostly focused on male individuals and have not involved persons with severe mental illness (SMI; Loo, Fairbank, & Chemtob, 2005;Pole, Best, Metzler, & Marmar, 2005).…”