Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Dec;77(6):1169-78.
doi: 10.1037/a0017721.

Ethnic differences in posttraumatic distress: Hispanics' symptoms differ in kind and degree

Affiliations

Ethnic differences in posttraumatic distress: Hispanics' symptoms differ in kind and degree

Grant N Marshall et al. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2009 Dec.

Abstract

This longitudinal study of physical injury survivors examined the degree to which Hispanic and non-Hispanic Caucasians reported similar posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Adult physical trauma survivors (N = 677) provided information regarding posttraumatic distress by completing an interview-administered version of the PTSD Symptom Checklist (Civilian version) at 3 time points: within days of trauma exposure and again at 6 and 12 months posttrauma. Structural equation modeling with propensity weights was used in analyzing data. Results replicated prior research indicating that Hispanics report greater overall PTSD symptom severity. However, the size of this effect varied significantly across the 17 individual PTSD symptoms, and several symptoms were not reported more highly by Hispanics. Relative to non-Hispanic Caucasians, Hispanics tended to report higher levels of symptoms that could be regarded as exaggerated or intensified cognitive and sensory perceptions (e.g., hypervigilance, flashbacks). In contrast, few differences were observed for symptoms characteristic of impaired psychological functioning (e.g., difficulty concentrating, sleep disturbance). Findings suggest that the pattern of PTSD symptoms experienced most prominently by Hispanics differs in kind and not merely in degree. Results have implications for theory aimed at explaining this ethnic disparity in posttraumatic psychological distress as well as for clinical intervention with trauma-exposed Hispanics.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

References

    1. American Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine. The Abbreviated Injury Scale, 1990 Revision. Des Plaines, Illinois: American Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine; 1990.
    1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4. Washington, D.C: Author; 2000.
    1. Andrykowski MA, Cordova MJ, Studts JL, Miller TW. Posttraumatic stress disorder after treatment for breast cancer: prevalence of diagnosis and use of the PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C) as a screening instrument. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 1998;66:586–590. - PubMed
    1. Baker SP, O’Neill B, Haddon W, Long WB. The injury severity score: A method for describing patients with multiple injuries and evaluating emergency care. Journal of Trauma. 1974;14:187–96. - PubMed
    1. Barrowclough C, Gregg L, Tarrier N. Expressed emotion and causal attributions in relatives of post-traumatic stress disorder patients. Behavioural Research and Therapy. 2008;46:207–218. - PubMed

Publication types