Synopses & Reviews
Crises do not occur in cultural vacuums, but help often does. Good intentions are not enough. Lack of cultural understanding, sensitivity, and competencies can hamper and even harm the professional response to disasters. To help and heal, one must know and understand the cultural background of disaster victims. Ethnocultural Perspectives on Disaster and Trauma offers readers substantive knowledge in these three vital areas of disaster response. In this pioneering volume, experts on individual and collective trauma experience, posttraumatic stress and related syndromes, and emergency and crisis intervention - share knowledge and insights on the cultural context of working with ethnic and racial minority communities during disasters. In each chapter, emotional, psychological, and social needs as well as communal strengths and coping skills that arise in disasters are documented for major minority groups in the United States including specific chapters on African Americans, Native Americans, Arab Americans, Asian Indians, Chinese Americans, Caribbean Americans, Latin Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Vietnamese Americans. Each chapter features information on: Demographics, major historical events, and core values of each population Important cultural insights, including communication styles, culture-specific disorders, and valid assessment instruments Therapeutic and healing traditions versus conventional medicine and therapy Perspectives specific to the population's experience with disaster and trauma Authors' recommendations for improving services to the population Practical appendices for readers new to the field This unique volume is a cultural competency compendium that will increase to the effectiveness of all who respond to disasters. It will also be of interest and value to scholars, policy makers, and health professionals working in the areas of disaster management, crisis intervention, and trauma. Ethnocultural Perspectives on Disaster and Trauma points readers to what the editors call the path "beyond simple assistance to healing and the restoration of hope and meaning."
Review
From the reviews: "In Ethnocultural Perspectives on Disaster and Trauma: Foundations, Issues, and Applications, editors Marsella, Johnson, Watson, and Gryczynski have collected 12 chapters that collectively try to answer this question across a broad array of cultures. ... Ethnocultural Perspectives on Disaster and Trauma is a worthwhile read for anyone working in this field." (Donald Dutton, PsycCRITIQUES, Vol. 53 (49), December, 2008)
Synopsis
The past decade has brought home the terrible human, social, and economic consequences of natural and human-made disasters. Media images and headlines of fires, mudslides, hurricanes, floods, and terrorism became part of daily life across the world. No sooner did one disaster pass than another occurred, each time reminding us of the horrors of human suffering and victimization that are part of natural and human-made disasters. This volume grew from efforts at the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (NC-PTSD) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to better understand, assist, and respond to the human experience of natural and man-made disasters.
Disasters bring together victims and responders of varying ethnocultural and racial backgrounds that may limit or even impair the delivery of disaster services. When it comes to the complex and demanding responsibility of assisting a victim who, under the pressures of disaster trauma, has deteriorated to the point of psychosis or total helplessness, we are faced with a different and more pressing need for understanding, appreciation, and sensitivity to the cultural and racial backgrounds of those involved. It is at this point ??? when we refer to mental health ??? that racial and cultural differences become critical because of the issues of communication, the nature and meaning of health and illness, treatment preferences and reluctance, and the complex social, ethical, and administrative considerations involved.
Synopsis
The past decade has brought home the terrible human, social, and economic consequences of natural and human-made disasters. This volume grew from efforts at the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (NC-PTSD) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to better understand, assist, and respond to the human experience of natural and man-made disasters. Disasters bring together victims and responders of varying ethnocultural and racial backgrounds that may limit or even impair the delivery of disaster services. This book offers the reader a unique of combination of chapters on basic disaster concepts, knowledge, and skills, as well as essential information on specific ethnocultural and racial groups.
Synopsis
In this pioneering volume, experts in individual and collective trauma experience, post-traumatic stress and related syndromes, and emergency and crisis intervention share their knowledge and insights into working with ethnic and racial minority communities during disasters. In each chapter, emotional, psychological, and social needs as well as communal strengths and coping skills that arise in disasters are documented.
Table of Contents
Essential Concepts and Foundations.- Promoting Disaster Recovery in Ethnic Minority Individuals and Communities.- Meeting the Physical, Psychological, and Social Needs of African Americans Following a Disaster.- Essential Information for Disaster Management and Trauma Specialists Working with American Indians.- Arab Americans: Understanding Their Challenges, Needs, and Struggles.- Asian Indians: Cultural Considerations for Disaster Workers.- Carribean Blacks: (Haitians, Jamaicans, Virgin Islanders, Eastern Carribean) Responses to Disasters in Cultural Context.- Chinese Americans: Guidelines for Disaster Mental Health Workers.- The Kanaka Maoli: Native Hawaiians and Their Testimony of Trauma and Resilience.- Mexicans, Mexican Americans, Carribean, and Other Latin Americans.- Working with Vietnamese Americans in Disasters.- Culture, Trauma, and the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Syndromes: A Global Perspective.- A Brief List of Disaster-Related Vocabulary Terms.- Summary and Overview of Disasters in Developing Countries.- Disaster Rescue and Response Workers.