Social, Cultural and Ethical Issues in the Traumatic Stress Field

This chapter describes how the impact of psychological trauma differs depending upon the social and cultural context and the social and cultural resources available to individuals, families and communities. Disadvantaged persons and communities such as those experiencing poverty, stigma and discrimination, disabilities, homelessness, political repression, communal/societal violence (including military and gang warfare), forced immigration (refugees), interrogation and torture, terrorism, genocide and catastrophic disasters are particularly vulnerable both to being exposed to traumatic stressors and to developing postrraumatic stress disorder and associated psychiatric disorders and psychosocial problems. This vulnerability largely is explained by the presence of chronic stressors (such as stigma, discrimination and poverty) and exposure to chronic or particularly horrific traumatic stressors (including the often lengthy aftermath of catastrophic disasters or societal conflicts), rather than being due to ethnic or cultural differences.