Racism-Induced Trauma

Although advances have been made in the human services relating to cultural sensitivity and diversity-informed practice, intensive investigations relating to exposure to race-related traumatic events in research, clinical practice, or in everyday life are relatively sparse. The commentary related to the diagnosis of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) largely ignores issues related to race, although particularly high rates of PTSD are noted to occur among survivors of ethnically motivated internment and genocide. Although particularly severe or horrific race-related trauma (e.g., sexual assault by a member of another race, while being verbally abused because of one's own race) would legitimately be seen as precipitating events leading to PTSD, lesser forms of exposure to race-related traumatic experiences ...