Page 56 - JCBP-2-2

Journal of Clinical and

Basic Psychosomatics

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Culturally informed coping strategies adopted

in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder
among amaXhosa in the Eastern Cape Province

of South Africa

Sandra Thompson-Assan *, and Yaseen Ally 2
1
1 Center for Student Development, Keystone Academy, Beijing, China
2 Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Behavioural and Lifestyle
Changes, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Abstract

In many contexts, culture plays a central role in shaping the expression and treatment
of psychological experiences. These context-specific factors must be understood
and considered for their role in mental health. However, despite this recognition, the
influence of culturally informed coping strategies in dealing with posttraumatic stress
disorders (PTSD) has not been extensively explored. This study aims to investigate
culturally informed coping strategies used in the treatment of PTSD symptoms
among amaXhosa participants from the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The
study used a non-probability purposive sampling technique to select participants,
*Corresponding author:
Sandra Thompson-Assan conducting individual interviews with 15 individuals and organizing two focus group
(sandra.thompson@ discussions, each consisting of four participants. Thematic analysis revealed that
keystoneacademy.cn) individuals tended to rely heavily on culturally informed coping strategies to manage
Citation: Thompson-Assan S, their PTSD symptoms. Three main themes emerged from the study: (i) perceptions of
Ally Y. Culturally informed traumatic symptoms; (ii) strategies for coping with PTSD symptoms; and (iii) various
coping strategies adopted in the
treatment of posttraumatic stress supplementary practices. The results underscore the importance of integrating
disorder among amaXhosa in the culturally informed approaches into clinical practices, particularly in settings where
Eastern Cape Province of South cultural beliefs exert significant influence. In addition, the study introduces a checklist
Africa. J Clin Basic Psychosom.
2024;2(2):2889. to assist in the initial stages of clinical sessions, providing valuable insights within the
https://doi.org/10.36922/jcbp.2889 South African context, considering the diverse cultural beliefs prevalent across its
landscape.
Received: February 5, 2024
Accepted: February 27, 2024
Keywords: Culture; Context; Posttraumatic stress disorders; AmaXhosa; Culturally
Published Online: April 5, 2024 informed coping strategies; South Africa
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s).
This is an Open-Access article
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution
License, permitting distribution, 1. Introduction
and reproduction in any medium,
1
provided the original work is Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) arises from exposure to traumatic events, yet
properly cited. the predominant diagnostic approach often overlooks cultural influences, thus limiting
Publisher’s Note: AccScience understanding and treatment options. Ongoing debates in the literature underscore the
Publishing remains neutral with Western-centric nature of PTSD diagnosis while also recognizing its cultural specificity.
2-5
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional One school of thought advocates for cognitive restructuring of negative beliefs about the
affiliations. traumatic event and associated symptoms, whereas another emphasizes the need for
6-8
Volume 2 Issue 2 (2024) 1 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcbp.2889