Posttraumatic Stress among Victimized Latino Women: Evaluating the Role of Cultural Factors

Abstract

Research examining victimization and posttraumatic symptomatology among Latinos is lacking in the extant literature. This analysis used the victimized subsample (N = 752) of the Sexual Assault Among Latinas Study. The aim was to evaluate victimization prevalence and test the following hypotheses: (a) that victimization would be associated with higher levels of posttraumatic symptoms, (b) that cultural factors that move away from traditional Latino culture would be associated with higher levels of posttraumatic symptomatology, and (c) that cultural factors associated with traditional Latino culture would be related to lower posttraumatic symptomatology. Average age of the sample was 44.57 years, with three fourths having a high school education or higher, and two thirds having a household income below $30,000. Of exposure types, adulthood threats were most likely to result in Criterion A traumatic events (23.4%). Using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.; American Psychiatric Association, 2000) based PTSD Checklist, between 8.8% and 45.5% of individuals met presumed PTSD diagnosis based on various PCL cut scores or algorithm criteria. Regression analyses indicated that the combined different types of adult and childhood victimizations, masculine gender role, and negative religious coping were associated with increased symptoms (βs ranging from .16 to .27). The results suggested a role of culture in posttraumatic symptoms for Latinas.

Religiosity and the psychological outcomes of trauma: A systematic review of quantitative studies

“…Consistent pattern of associations was found in the case of negative religious coping and symptoms of disorders: depression (Ahrens et al, ; Henslee et al, ; Leaman & Gee, ), PTSD (Berzengi, Berzenji, Kadim, Mustafa, & Jobson, ; Cuevas et al, ; Currier et al, ; Gerber et al, ; Harris et al, ; Leaman & Gee, ; McCann & Webb, ; Park et al, ; Raines et al, ; Wortmann et al, ; Zukerman, Korn, & Fostick, —only in women; Zukerman, Korn, Shapiro, & Fostick, , avoidance symptoms), distress (Chan & Rhodes, ), suicidal ideations (Currier, Smith, & Kuhlman, ; Kopacz et al, ; Raines et al, ), and substance use (Raines et al, ). Lack of significant associations between the negative coping and symptoms of PTSD was demonstrated in Ahrens et al (), Al‐Hadethe et al (), and Chan and Rhodes ().…”

“…McIntosh, Poulin, Silver, and Holman () measured both religiosity (institutionally related practices) and spirituality (subjective, personal beliefs); at least six other papers distinguished between the institutional religious practice and spirituality. However, some of the papers did not make a clear distinction between those two terms (i.e., Brooks, Lowe, Graham‐Kevan, & Robinson, ; Cuevas, Sabina, & Picard, ; López, Camilli, & Noriega, ). Religious practices such as prayer or service attendance were assessed through self‐report in 18 papers (although some scales assessing general religiosity also contained subscales referring to behavior/practices, so this number could be higher).…”

The Role of Cultural Factors on Dating Aggression and Delinquency Among Latino Youth

“…Acculturation and enculturation were measured using the Brief-ARSMA-II, an instrument that assesses both majority and minority cultural identity (Bauman, 2005) and includes items from the complete ARMSA-II (Cuéllar, Arnold, & Maldonado, 1995). Although these questions measure an individual’s Anglo orientation and Mexican orientation, none of the questions specifically refer specifically to Mexican culture, and the instrument has been successfully used with the Latino population in general (hence, we have used the term Latino Orientation in the past; Cuevas, Sabina, & Picard, 2015). Here we refer to Anglo Orientation as ‘Acculturation’ and Mexican Orientation as ‘Enculturation’.…”

IPV Among Latina Survivors: Unique Considerations, Strategies, and Opportunities

“…Other research, however, indicates that having a higher Latino cultural identity may buffer the negative mental health effects of IPV on Latinas (Cuevas et al 2012a). For example, one study found that higher Latino cultural values and beliefs served as a protective factor against PTSD (Cuevas et al 2015). This research has begun to help us understand the various ways that Latinas experience negative consequences due to IPV and intersecting factors that can buffer or exacerbate these experiences.…”