PTSD IN IMMIGRANT WOMEN

Effects of PTSD among Immigrant Women victimized by Domestic Abuse

Abstract

In this study, I have tried to explore the concept of immgrant women in a holistic context. The main focus of the research is on immigrant women and how they are effected by PTSD. As the immigrants population statistics are increasing, so are the social relations and issues. Women become victim of these issues and adverse conditions in the form of conjugal abuse.This research analyzes several mental health aspects of immigrant women in relation to domestic violence.. The exact cause of PTSD remains uncertain, with the general consensus suggesting there are psychological and psychosocial factors that predispose women to this condition (Raj & Silverman, 2002).

Table of Contents

Introduction5

Immigration in Canada6

Violence on Immigrant Women8

At Macro system level10

At Exo System Level11

At Micro System Level11

Domestic violence and PSTD12

The Impact of Domestic Violence on Immigrant Women's Mental Health12

Physical12

Psychological13

Behavioral and Lifestyle13

Community15

Sponsorship and Domestic Abuse15

Sexual Exploitation16

Racism and Poverty17

Domestic Violence17

Implications of Gender-based Violence18

Cultural Factors Affecting PTSD19

Language Barriers20

Arranged Marriages21

Use of Women as Weapon of War22

Women Trafficking22

Women without Status24

Women Asylum Seekers24

Coping Methods25

Protective Functions for Hardships after Migration25

Access to Mental Healthcare Services25

Interpersonal Therapies27

Implication of Social Work27

What clinicians should know28

Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions28

Conclusion30

Recommendation31

Options for Treatment31

Group Treatment32

Psychotherapy and Pharmacology32

Effects of PTSD among Immigrant Women victimized by Domestic Abuse

IntroductionImmigration is at once a widely spread human experience and one of the most challenging. For many immigrants, the transition from their home country to the host country entails a drop in status, and the need to face ongoing discrimination and prejudice (Abraham, 2000). Even if, it is presumed that people who initiate such a dramatic change in their lives might have some basic resilience, existing research findings suggest that ethnic and immigrant minorities are frequently at a higher risk for a variety of mental health problems including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): a severe mental disorder that develops in the aftermath of exposure to a traumatic event (Abraham, 2000). For an individual to meet criteria for PTSD according to DSM-IV criteria, he or she must experience at least one re-experiencing symptom, three or more avoidance or numbing symptoms, and two or more hyper arousal symptoms. Re-experiencing symptoms include recurrent and unwanted thoughts, dreams, or memories of the trauma (Dasgupta, 2005). Re-experiencing symptoms in children with PTSD may include engaging in play that involves traumatic themes or having frightening dreams without specific traumatic content. In adolescents, re-experiencing symptoms may include re-enacting the trauma in their behaviors (for example sexual-acting out behavior in an adolescent who experienced sexual abuse) (Duley, 2007). Some individuals also experience reliving phenomenon, which can include the sense that the trauma is re-occurring, illusions, hallucinations, or flashbacks.PTSD, as well as mental and physical health in general, is affected by socio-cognitive development. This is expected to be the case because both social and psychological variables come into play as subjects pull on available cognitive resources to face, interpret and process the traumatic event (Anderson, 1993). Ethnic and immigrant minorities are also likely to display lower socio-cognitive development, it is seen that this factor mediates the higher incidence of PTSD among this population. This paper discusses the effects of PTSD on the ...