Interpersonal trauma has deleterious effects on mental health, with college students experiencing relatively high rates of lifetime trauma. Asian American/Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) have the lowest rate of mental healthcare utilization. According to cultural betrayal trauma theory, societal inequality may impact within-group violence in minority populations, thus having implications for mental health. In the current exploratory study, between-group (interracial) and within-group (ethno-cultural betrayal) trauma and mental health outcomes were examined in AAPI college students.
Participants: Participants (N = 108) were AAPI college students from a predominantly white university. Data collection concluded in December 2015.
Methods: Participants completed online self-report measures.
Results: A multivariate analysis of variance revealed that when controlling for interracial trauma, ethno-cultural betrayal trauma significantly impacted dissociation, hallucinations, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and hypervigilance.
Conclusions: The results have implications for incorporating identity, discrimination, and ethno-cultural betrayal trauma victimization into assessments and case conceptualizations in therapy.
Gómez J. M. (2017). Does ethno-cultural betrayal in trauma affect Asian American/Pacific Islander college students’ mental health outcomes? An exploratory study. Journal of American college health : J of ACH, 65(6), 432–436.
https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2017.1341896
Citation/Abstract Retrieved from National Library of Medicine/PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28617143/