Historical trauma refers to a set of events of an event that occur to a group of people sharing a specific identity, whereby the character could be a religious affiliation, race, ethnicity, tribe, or nationality. In most cases, the events are executed with an ethnocidal or genocidal intent, leading to the disruption or annihilation of a people's identity, culture, or the traditional ways of life. Each of these events is highly traumatic, and it represents a history of prolonged community destruction and cultural disruption ( Myers et al., 2015) . The historical trauma theory refers to a new concept in the field of public health, which postulates that populations that are historically exposed to long-term mass trauma through such events as genocide, war, colonialism, and slavery demonstrate higher levels of disease prevalence even after several generations since the original trauma appeared. Mohatt, Thompson, Thai, and Tebes (2014) note that s uch prolonged injuries affect people's bodies and brains, thus increasing their vulnerability to the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other disorders associated with mental health. Further, the great weakness of stress impairs one's capacity to cope with the current stressors as they emerge forcefully. Understanding historical trauma is a vital element in improving health outcomes in populations that have encountered traumatic events in the past. This paper examines the benefits of the historical trauma model in public health, the social vulnerabilities of the African Americans and the holocaust survivors, as well as the measures that healthcare professionals can employ in understanding the cultures of the patients to facilitate better care and improved patient health outcomes.
The usefulness of the Historical Trauma Model in Public Health
One of the key objectives of public health is the elimination of ethnic or racial health disparities. Traditionally, healthcare professionals applied the biomedical model in understanding the factors that determine population health. However, this approach has proved ineffective in eliminating ethnic and racial health disparities since it focuses on the proximate risk factors for particular illnesses and individual health concerns rather than focusing on the unique characteristics of a given population ( Myers et al., 2015) . Hence, the historical trauma model has contributed significantly to public health by expanding the causal influences on health. According to the model, populations exposed to massive trauma demonstrate higher disease prevalence. Additionally, the model helps professionals in public health to understand how historical trauma influences a population's current health status, which is vital in providing new insights and directions regarding potential interventions that they can apply to eliminate health disparities.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Cultural Vulnerabilities
African Americans
One of the population groups that have endured historical trauma is the African Americans, who encountered an extensive period of slavery. Notably, the population persevered the legacy of being forcefully stolen from their ancestral lands, prolonged period of slavery, lasting between 1619 and 1865, systematic abuse and denial of education, forced breeding, extensive rape and assault of black women, indentured servitude following the abolition of slavery, Jim Crow laws, mass incarceration especially following the directives of the war on drugs, and mass lynching ( Myers et al., 2015) . The expose to these exceedingly traumatic events is closely associated with the high prevalence of mental disorders, which are further linked to the high cases of homicides among African Americans compared to other racial groups in America. In this context, African Americans demonstrate greater vulnerability towards substance dependence and abuse, sleep disorders, anxiety disorders, and symptoms, depression disorders and symptoms, impairment in social and relational areas, including treatment, and higher cases of physical ailments.
Holocaust Survivors
The element of trauma transmission across generations was first observed in 1966 after clinicians noted an alarmingly high number of children of individuals who had survived the Nazi Holocaust seeking treatment for mental health ( Mohatt, Thompson, Thai & Tebes, 2014) . The trauma that the Jewish people encountered during the holocaust was observed in the descendant generations through poor physical and mental health outcomes. Mainly, the group demonstrates a greater vulnerability to stress, which further develops into PTSD whenever they encounter extreme stress. Other cultural weaknesses in relation to the historical trauma include interdependence or exaggerated personal attachments, substance abuse, impaired communication, preoccupation with death, impaired self-esteem, and symptoms of depression, and survivor grief, anger, anxiety, and guilt.
Understanding the Patient’s Cultures
Understanding the elements that are unique to a particular population, including cultural practices, beliefs, and values, play a crucial role in helping health professionals to provide better care and develop positive interactions with their patients. Health professionals can effectively understand the cultures of the patients by implementing a patient-centered approach of care, which would engage patients in determining their preferences when receiving treatment information and healthcare. Health professionals can also understand patient cultures by seeking to understand how patients perceive their illnesses or health based on their cultural beliefs and practices ( Mohatt, Thompson, Thai & Tebes, 2014) . In addition, professionals should focus on ensuring that they listen to the client’s messages keenly, understanding them, and incorporating the patients’ ideas in their care plans. In cases of language barriers, health professionals can seek the help of interpreters. Finally, the public health sector should seek to develop a guide illustrating the diverse cultural characteristics and preferences across the globe to help health practitioners to understand the various health preferences of different populations.
References
Mohatt, N. V., Thompson, A. B., Thai, N. D., & Tebes, J. K. (2014). Historical trauma as public narrative: A conceptual review of how history impacts present-day health. Social Science & Medicine , 106 , 128-136.
Myers, H. F., Wyatt, G. E., Ullman, J. B., Loeb, T. B., Chin, D., Prause, N., ... & Liu, H. (2015). The cumulative burden of lifetime adversities: Trauma and mental health in low-SES African Americans and Latino/as. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy , 7 (3), 243.
