Assessment of PTSD in Non-Western Cultures: The Need for New Contextual and Complex Perspectives

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AbstractPosttraumatic psychological impacts to non-Western populations cannot be assessed and understood solely within a biomedical paradigm and described primarily by the diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder. Instead, a more holistic assessment framework is critical. This chapter presents such a holistic assessment framework that incorporates clinical, psychological, and psychometric perspectives. In assessment of trauma populations, a contextual framework has to be applied. Psychological consequences should be approached as a spectrum of changes to individual psychosocial processes and patterns of adjustment. Assessment procedures should be culture sensitive and the instruments applied should address survivors’ cultural realities and historical experiences within the disaster or trauma experience itself. The context of the traumatic event within a cultural matrix is essential to an accurate diagnostic picture, and this endeavor requires special knowledge of cultural differences in everyday life, traditions of daily living, and cultural community-based approaches for healing and recovery.