Journal of General Internal Medicine
Volume 23, Issue 9, 2008, Pages 1386-1392

PTSD in latino patients: Illness beliefs, treatment preferences, and implications for care (Article)

Eisenman D.P. , Meredith L.S. , Rhodes H. , Green B.L. , Kaltman S. , Cassells A. , Tobin J.N.
  • a RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA, United States, Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States, Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 911 Broxton Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1736, United States
  • b RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA, United States
  • c RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA, United States
  • d Department of Psychiatry, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States
  • e Department of Psychiatry, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States
  • f Clinical Directors Network, New York, NY, United States
  • g Clinical Directors Network, New York, NY, United States, Institute for Public Health Sciences, Yeshiva University, New York, NY, United States, Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, United States

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Little is known about how Latinos with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) understand their illness and their preferences for mental health treatment. OBJECTIVE: To understand the illness beliefs and treatment preferences of Latino immigrants with PTSD. DESIGN: Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty foreign-born, Latino adults recruited from five primary care centers in New York and New Jersey and screened for PTSD. APPROACH: Content analytic methods identified common themes, their range, and most frequent or typical responses. RESULTS: Participants identified their primary feelings as sadness, anxiety, nervousness, and fear. The most common feeling was "sad" (triste). Other words frequently volunteered were "angry" (enojada), "nervous" (nerviosa), and "scared" (miedo). Participants viewed their PTSD as impairing health and functioning. They ascribed their somatic symptoms and their general medical problems to the "stress" from the trauma and its consequences on their lives. The most common reason participants volunteered for their work and school functioning being impaired was their poor concentration, often due to intrusive thoughts. Most expressed their desire to receive mental health treatment, to receive it within their primary care center, and preferred psychotherapy over psychotropic medications. Among participants who did not report wanting treatment, most said it was because the trauma was "in the past." CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians may consider enquiring about PTSD in Latino patients who report feeling sad, anxious, nervous, or fearful. Our study suggests topics clinicians may include in the psychoeducation of patients with PTSD. © 2008 Society of General Internal Medicine.

Author Keywords

qualitative research Latino Post-traumatic stress disorder Depression trauma

Index Keywords

anxiety patient care Physician-Patient Relations immigrant primary medical care Latin America psychoeducation human health belief Interview, Psychological controlled study volunteer Hispanic Americans mental health care interview psychotherapy Community Health Centers Humans treatment indication Hispanic male female stress patient satisfaction Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice Article emotion nervousness major clinical study adult posttraumatic stress disorder Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic psychotrauma Transients and Migrants psychotropic agent Fear
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-50049118018&doi=10.1007%2fs11606-008-0677-y&partnerID=40&md5=c9d3513121767c9ca8d7596d4b8f144b
DOI: 10.1007/s11606-008-0677-y
ISSN: 08848734
Cited by: 25
Original Language: English