Psychiatric Services
Volume 46, Issue 12, 1995, Pages 1287-1288

Impact of recounting trauma stories on the emotional state of Cambodian refugees (Article)

Silove D.* , Chang R. , Manicavasagar V.
  • a Health Services Building, Liverpool, NSW 2170, Australia
  • b Health Services Building, Liverpool, NSW 2170, Australia
  • c Health Services Building, Liverpool, NSW 2170, Australia

Abstract

Twenty Cambodian refugees with premigration histories of trauma received an average of 16 sessions of individual therapy from a Cambodian bicultural counselor at a trauma treatment center in Sydney, Australia. Nineteen of the 20 patients reported that during treatment they had been willing to talk about their trauma histories, a finding that raises doubts about the commonly held belief that Asians are not psychologically minded and avoid disclosing emotionally sensitive information to health care workers. However, self- disclosing therapy alone did not appear to benefit these patients. Only four patients found talking about their trauma story directly helpful in improving their emotional state, and three of the four found the relief to be transitory.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

male self disclosure female Treatment Failure refugee psychotrauma clinical article Australia demography Cambodia Article psychotherapy human adult
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-0028788983&doi=10.1176%2fps.46.12.1287&partnerID=40&md5=cc6079325604c865e0dedf286f77babd
DOI: 10.1176/ps.46.12.1287
ISSN: 10752730
Cited by: 14
Original Language: English