1999/06/01 by Janis Sanchez‐Hucles · 2 citations
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Clinical psychology #Distress #Gender studies #Migration, Health and Trauma #Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research #Psychological trauma #Psychology #Psychosocial #Psychotherapist #Racial and Ethnic Identity Research #Racism #Social psychology #Sociology #Stressor
paper · doi:10.1300/j135v01n02_04
openalex publication_date 1999/06/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
This article advances the perspective that racism is a significant source of emotional abusiveness and trauma for people of color. Although traditional conceptions of posttraumattic stress disorder (PTSD) have been enlarged, this area needs to be further broadened to encompass the trauma of racism. In addition, all diagnostic categories should become more inclusive by incorporating racism as a psychosocial stressor. A careful critique of racism as trauma is conducted to identify how this type of PTSD both fits and challenges current trauma categories, and case vignettes are provided to illustrate how racism can function as a source of trauma and emotional abusiveness. An enhanced understanding of the effects of racism is necessary in order to prevent and mediate psychological and physical distress for ethnic minorities as well as the less visible negative consequences to majority members.