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Trauma and Acculturative Stress

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Psychotherapy for Immigrant Youth

Abstract

There are a substantial number of immigrant youth living in the United States (USA), and there has been a recent media coverage documenting a rise in illegal entry by immigrants into the United States. Both legal and clandestine entries into the United States present various trauma risk factors for youth whose families seek the promise of a fruitful future in America. This chapter examines the various types of traumatic experiences immigrant youth may encounter, prevalent treatment approaches, and practical, community-based applications of treatment programs utilized by the Early Life Stress and Pediatric Anxiety Program at Stanford University. By investigating trauma before, during, and after migration, clinicians can achieve a greater depth of understanding on how to develop new treatment approaches and how to adapt existing psychotherapeutic models. Through an exploration of the psychosocial stressors immigrant youth face, various risk and resiliency factors during different phases of the migration process, potential comorbidities, and existing treatment models, we arrive at specific treatments and cultural adaptation recommendations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stanford Early Life Stress & Pediatric Anxiety Program, 401 Quarry Road, Room 3343, Stanford, CA, 94305-5719, USA

    John P. Rettger Ph.D., Hilit Kletter Ph.D. & Victor Carrion M.D.

Authors
  1. John P. Rettger Ph.D.
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  2. Hilit Kletter Ph.D.
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  3. Victor Carrion M.D.
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Correspondence to John P. Rettger Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, California, USA

    Sita Patel

  2. Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, USA

    Daryn Reicherter

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Rettger, J.P., Kletter, H., Carrion, V. (2016). Trauma and Acculturative Stress. In: Patel, S., Reicherter, D. (eds) Psychotherapy for Immigrant Youth. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24693-2_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24693-2_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-24693-2

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