Assessment and treatment of Asian‐American survivors of mass violence

This paper presents Asian‐Americans' experiences of mass violence with the hope of stimulating much‐needed research and clinical activities in this area. After a discussion of the literature on the types of traumatic events leading to Post‐traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other psychological sequelae, the occurrence of similar events in Asia during the past 40 years which may predispose Asian people to PTSD will be reviewed. Asian cultural coping styles which mitigate against or conceal PTSD will be discussed. Assessment and treatment methods tailored for Asian patients will be outlined. Finally, recommendations for clinical service, training, and research in this area with Asian patients will be presented.