Culture and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): A Proposed Conceptual Framework

Abstract

It is widely accepted that the understanding of any psychological disorder needs to be contextualised within cultural parameters. The notion that current diagnostic taxonomies are not always universally applicable does not mean that all symptoms are not applicable. We present a framework that is aimed at being a starting point from which to delineate universal and culture specific elements of PTSD. The framework follows the possible influence of cultural factors on (a) the formation of an intrusive memory, (b) an understanding of how such a memory becomes pathological, and (c) how symptoms are expressed from the intrusive memory core of PTSD. While the framework presents certain elements (e.g. intrusive memory and core schemas) as centrally important, the focus is on a heuristic framework that allows for the study of the dynamic interaction between potentially universal and cultural factors and how this interaction may produce the symptom profile generally seen with PTSD. Tentative recommendations are made for a research agenda and are presented after a brief exploration of the strengths and weaknesses of such a framework.