PTSD in the South Asian Population

Abstract

The Prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Self-Identified South Asians

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is widely regarded as a post-war veteran’s disease, a stereotype that this study sought to dispel. We also sought to determine the prevalence in understudied populations.  Our focus was to determine PTSD prevalence in the South Asian population. Firstly, we determined the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in various geographical areas using existing datasets. Our experimental approach to determining PTSD prevalence used the PCL-C self-assessment and scoring based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criterion. We randomly selected 40 adult subjects of South Asian descent living in the U.S., Canada, India, and analyzed their anonymous responses to the PCL-C questions. Our results showed that 37.5% of the subjects had moderate to very severe levels of PTSD.  This suggests that there may be a higher percentage of PTSD in South Asians than previously recognized.  Our study was limited by the fact that the South Asians in our study were self-identified and that the study had a small sample.  However, due to the inadequate amount of existing research on anxiety disorders in this subject population, we highly recommend a broader and deeper study of PTSD prevalence, causes, and treatment in this population.