Abstract
ABSTRACT There is a growing recognition about the effects of traumatic experiences on mental health worldwide. With ongoing conflicts, natural disasters, interpersonal violence, and other traumatic events it is estimated that approximately 70% of the global population have been exposed to at least one lifetime traumatic experience. Research shows a substantial proportion of survivors, especially in low- and middle-income countries, would have a posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). During recent decades effective evidence-based treatments for PTSD have been developed. However, there are significant barriers to mental health services and trauma-informed treatments are not easily available for trauma survivors. From the perspective of social psychotraumatology several core barriers to trauma treatments were identified, including the lack of acknowledgment, and avoidance of disclosure. The need for cultural sensitivity in PTSD treatments, the potential of alternative ways of treatment delivery, and the involvement of non-professional volunteers are proposed as directions for future developments in the field.
Highlights
Even though we wish our world was safe and secure, traumatic experiences are inevitable companions of human existence
Research shows a substantial proportion of survivors, especially in low- and middle-income countries, would have a posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
This paper aims to discuss barriers for effective PTSD treatments, primarily in low- and middleincome countries, and identify several important future directions for reducing the burden of PTSD in traumatized populations
Summary
Even though we wish our world was safe and secure, traumatic experiences are inevitable companions of human existence. In a country in conflict, PTSD prevalence in the general population can be as high as 38% [5], indicating there are millions of survivors with PTSD globally. This paper aims to discuss barriers for effective PTSD treatments, primarily in low- and middleincome countries, and identify several important future directions for reducing the burden of PTSD in traumatized populations. Over the last few decades a number of evidence-based PTSD treatments have been developed [6] These treatments have mostly been developed and tested in the high-income countries (USA, Canada, and Europe). Based on the recent findings from the traumatic stress research field, several major barriers for dissemination and delivery of effective PTSD treatments for traumatized populations important for health care policies were identified:
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