by Laura Jobson, Xin Kie Lee,The Conversation

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Over the past few decades,researchershave developed effective treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a psychiatric disorder some people develop after experiencing trauma. These treatments often involve talking through the trauma and understanding what happened with a therapist.

But most PTSD research is based on Western populations. Many treatments reflect Western values and ways of thinking valuing independence, agency and regaining personal control. These approaches donot workequally well for everyone.

This matters because many trauma survivors are not from Western cultural backgrounds. In Australia,more than 50%of people were born overseas or have a parent who was. This means that people may receive care that does not fully match how they understand their own experiences.

Culture shapes how people remember the past, make sense of their experience, and seek social support. These processes are also central to recovery from trauma. When treatment fits a person's cultural background, it is more likelyto be effective.

Why memory is key to recovery

The key symptom of PTSD is distressing and unwanted memories of the trauma. These flashbacks are vivid and overwhelming, and make people feel like they are re-living the trauma in the present.

Peoplewith PTSDmay avoid reminders of what happened, struggle with sleep and concentration, and experience changes in mood.

This is why memory plays acentralrole in recovery. PTSD interventions typically focus on helping people process these trauma memories.

This might involve talking through the memory with a therapist in a safe and supported way, making sense of what happened, and exploring how the experience has shaped how the person feels about themselves and the world.

But culture influences how we remember trauma

Across cultures, telling stories about life experiences, including trauma, plays a central role in maintaining good mental health. But there can becultural differencesin how people with PTSD relate to and recount their experiences.

For example, Western culture is generally consideredindividualist, valuing personal independence, choice and control.

This is reflected inpsychology researchthat prompts people to talk about memories that define their identity. Those from individualistic Western backgrounds—such as the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States—generally tend to discuss memories that center on themselves as individuals, how they felt, and whether they had control over what happened.

When people from Western cultures have PTSD, trauma memories can become central to one's identityfocus, such as surviving a car accident. They also tend to give longer and more emotionally richaccountsof trauma.

These trauma memories then often become the focus of talking therapies for PTSD.

Trauma is not always an identity

In contrast, collectivist cultures, typical in many parts of Asia, Africa and the Middle East, tend to emphasize relationships, family, community and social harmony.

When talking about memories that define them, people from these backgroundsoften downplaypersonal emotions and center other people and social interactions.

They may not viewtraumathrough a personal lens or as an individual experience, insteaddescribingits impact on others, social roles and the community. Even those diagnosed with PTSDmay not viewtrauma as central to their identity.

This means the most common one-on-one PTSD treatments, which focus on talking with a therapist about individual feelings and memories, may fundamentally misunderstand how people from non-Western backgrounds relate to experiences of trauma.

Making meaning after trauma

How a person makes meaning of their trauma can alsoinfluence their recovery. Are they trying to regain control over what happened, for example? Or are they aiming to accept the past and view challenges as part of life?

Many Western PTSD treatments focus on helping people feel more in control, capable of managing their trauma and current situation.

However, these ideasdon't applyto everyone.

In our research with Asian Australians with PTSD, wefoundfeeling a sense of personal control and agency may be less important for their recovery than other goals.

Rather, lower levels ofPTSD symptomswere associated with an increased sense of acceptance of what happened, adapting to the current situation, staying connected to others, and seeing adversity as an opportunity for growth.

These goals may still be achieved in talk therapy with a psychologist. But treatment must be culturally-informed, reflecting thesedifferent beliefs and values.

When asking for support doesn't help

The way people seek support after trauma can also affect recovery.

Among Western trauma survivors, research showsexplicitly asking othersfor support and discussing the trauma—for example, calling a mental health service or a friend—can be beneficial.

However, in collectivist cultures this may be felt as burdening others, and increase a trauma survivor's stress.

One study of Malaysian adults with PTSD showedexplicitlyasking others for help actually led to more distress. This can make it harder for some people to seek professional help or talk openly about their trauma. Expecting them to may not be culturally sensitive.

What else can help?

Some people from non-Western backgrounds may find implicit support, which means feeling supported simply by being around others, can be more beneficial than explicitly disclosing their trauma to others.

In practice, this might look like spending time with family, going for a walk with a friend, or being included in community activities such as sport, or cultural and religious events.

Spirituality is often overlooked in trauma recovery. But it can playan important rolein helping people make meaning—for example, by understanding hardship as a test of faith, or feeling that patience will be rewarded by God. Among Muslim trauma survivors, studies link these kinds of beliefs withfewer PTSDsymptoms.

Someresearchhas also explored how Western "talk therapies" can incorporate spiritual approaches, such as the Qur'an or Buddhist teachings, rather than treating faith as separate from recovery.

There is no single way to heal from trauma. But it's important to respect how culture shapes how people understand their experiences, seek support, and recover.

This article is republished fromThe Conversationunder a Creative Commons license. Read theoriginal article.

Key medical concepts Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Psychotherapy Social Support