Recent advances in trauma treatment, coupled with ongoing traumatic world events, point to a critical need for global standards in assessment. But despite the best intentions of Western psychology, one model does not fit all cultures. Cross-Cultural Assessment of Psychological Trauma and PTSD addresses key issues in the field to help fill this knowledge gap.

Focusing equally on theoretical concepts, culturally valid assessment methods, and cultural adaptation in trauma and resilience, 29 experts present the cutting edge of research and strategies. Extended case examples (including West Africans in Austria, Hmong in the U.S., and Aboriginal people in Australia) illustrate an informative range of symptom profiles, comorbid conditions, and coping skills, as well as secondary traumas that can occur in asylum seekers. Professional concerns are also highlighted, from training and competency issues to the challenges of translating assessment into treatment. The results are a vital set of insights and guidelines that will contribute to more aware and meaningful practice.

Included in the coverage:

• Twenty-one questions central to understanding trauma in cultural context.

• In-depth studies on the effects of trauma over multiple generations, and developmental issues among traumatized youth.

• A review of traditional interventions and current trauma assessment practice from China.

• Reports on the combined use of psycho- and pharmacotherapy in treating refugees.

• Cross-cultural perspectives on the Impact of Events Scale-Revised and other widely used assessment methods.

• Renewed debates over the nature of PTSD as a reaction to mass trauma.

  With the world in its current state, Cross-Cultural Assessment of Psychological Trauma and PTSD isnecessary reading for practitioners and academics in mental health. It is also highly relevant to those in a range of ethnomedicine, social work, and international aid and advocacy.

  Autorentext

John P. Wilson is a Professor of Psychology and Fulbright Scholar at Cleveland State University. He is co-founder and past president of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and the author of 10 books; 40 chapters and many articles on PTSD.

Catherine So-kum Tang graduated from the University of North Texas with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. She is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She was the former Director of the Graduate Studies in clinical Psychology and Gender Studies Program, and is currently Director of the new postgraduate program in trauma-related studies. She has published widely in international journals on violence against women, family violence, clinical aspects of social issues, AIDS/HIV prevention, and trauma psychology.

Inhalt
Theoretical And Conceptual Considerations In The Cross-Cultural Assessment Of Psychological Trauma.- The Lens of Culture: Theoretical and Conceptual Perspectives in the Assessment of Psychological Trausma and PTSD.- CulturalEcological Perspectives on the Understanding and Assessment of Trauma.- Ethnomedical Best Practices for International Psychosocial Efforts in Disaster and Trauma.- Assessing Trauma Across Cultures from a Multigenerational Perspective.- Refugee Assessment Practices and Cultural Competency Training.- Wrestling with the Ghosts from the Past in Exile: Assessing Trauma in Asylum Seekers.- Assessment Methods.- Assessment of PTSD and Psychiatric Comorbidity in Contemporary Chinese Societies.- Culture and the Assessment of Trauma in Youths.- The Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire An International Perspective.- The Impact of Event Scale: Revised.- Posttraumatic Stress in Asylum Seekers from Chechnya, Afghanistan, and West Africa: Differential Findings Obtained by Quantitative and Qualitative Methods in Three Austrian Samples.- Trauma And Cultural Adaptation.- The Cross-Cultural Assessment of Dissociation.- Mass Psychological Trauma and PTSD: Epidemic Illusion?.- Assessment of Trauma for Aboriginal People.- Combined Psychosocial and Pharmacological Treatment of Traumatized Refugees.- Western Psychiatry and Difficulty: Understanding and Treating Hmong Refugees.