title: Racial and ethnic differences in symptom severity of PTSD, GAD, and depression in trauma-exposed, urban, treatment-seeking adults.
abstract: Urban, socially disadvantaged individuals are at high risk for traumatic event exposure and its subsequent psychiatric symptomatology. This study examined the association between race/ethnicity and symptom severity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and depression in an urban clinical sample of 170 trauma-exposed adults. In addition, this study investigated the role of socioeconomic position (SEP) and coping style in the relationship between race/ethnicity and posttrauma psychiatric symptom severity. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that Blacks had lower depression symptom severity compared to Whites. No significant relationship was found between racial/ethnic group status and indices of SEP, PTSD, or GAD symptom severity. Adjustment for trauma exposure, gender, positive reframe coping, avoidance coping and negative coping accounted for 3%, 3%, 8%, 4%, and 3% of the variance in depression severity, respectively; however, Black race remained significantly associated with decreased depression symptom severity accounting for a statistically significant 5% of the variance in lower depression symptom severity. These preliminary findings and their clinical implications are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Advanced Studies in Education and Counseling, California State University, Long Beach, California 90840-2201, USA. bghafoor@csulb.edu.
authors.forename: Bita
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ghafoori
authors.forename: Belen
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Barragan
authors.forename: Niloufar
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tohidian
authors.forename: Lawrence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Palinkas
mesh_terms: D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000208:ethnology*; D002140:California; D003863:Depression / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*