Researchers have been very interested in answering the question of whether or not there are ethnic and racial differences in PTSD.
To answer some of these questions, a group of researchers interviewed over 5,000 people across the United States. They wanted to learn more about the co-occurrence of different mental disorders, as well as whether or not people are equally likely to have a certain disorder, such as PTSD, depending upon their age, sex, marital status, or race/ethnicity.Race/Ethnicity Differences in PTSD
A person's race/ethnicity was not found to influence whether or not they had PTSD at some point in their life. However, other differences were found.
African Americans, Asian Americans, and Native Americans tended to report having experienced fewer traumatic events as compared to European Americans and Latinos. Despite this, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Native Americans were all more likely to develop PTSD after experiencing a traumatic event as compared to European Americans and Latinos.
Summary
Overall, a person is not more likely to develop PTSD just because of their race/ethnicity. However, it seems as though that being from a minority group (with the exception of Latinos) is connected with increased likelihood (or risk) for having PTSD after experiencing a traumatic event.
Although some other researchers have found that people from minority groups are more likely to develop PTSD after a traumatic event, this does not seem to be solely about a person's racial/ethnic background.
Instead, people from some minority groups may be more likely to have other characteristics (or risk factors) that increase the likelihood that they will develop PTSD after a traumatic experience. These risk factors may include less access to mental health care or the experience of more severe traumas.
Conclusion
Simply being from a certain racial/ethnic background really does not seem to increase the likelihood that a person will develop PTSD. Instead, a person's race/ethnicity seems to influence the development of PTSD only to the extent that other risk factors are present.
It is important for people to be aware of what factors increase the likelihood that PTSD will develop. In doing so, steps can be taken to reduce the likelihood of PTSD after experiencing a traumatic event. Seeking social support and/or psychological treatment after a traumatic event may help "counteract" these risk factors.
Source:
Keane, T.M., & Barlow, D.H. (2002). Posttraumatic stress disorder. In D.H. Barlow (Ed.), Anxiety and its disorders, 2nd edition (pp. 418-453). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
Kessler, R.C., Sonnega, A., Bromet, E., Hughes, M., & Nelson, C.B. (1995). Posttraumatic stress disorder in the National Comorbidity Survey. Archives of General Psychiatry, 52,1048-1060.
Perilla, J.L., Norris, F.H., & Lavizzo, E.A. (2002). Ethnicity, culture, and disaster response: Identifying and explaining ethnic differences in PTSD six months after Hurricane Andrew. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 21, 20-45.
