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Ataque de nervios and history of childhood trauma
Author(s) -
Schechter Daniel S.,
Marshall Randall,
Salmán Ester,
Goetz Deborah,
Davies Sharon,
Liebowitz Michael R.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of traumatic stress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.259
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1573-6598
pISSN - 0894-9867
DOI - 10.1023/a:1007797611148
Subject(s) - psychology , psychiatry , clinical psychology , sexual abuse , stressor , anxiety , child abuse , physical abuse , substance abuse , history of childhood , childhood abuse , poison control , injury prevention , medicine , environmental health
Objective: Ataque de nervios is a common, self‐labeled Hispanic folk diagnosis. It typically describes episodic, dramatic outbursts of negative emotion in response to a stressor, sometimes involving destructive behavior. Dissociation and affective dysregulation during such episodes suggested a link to childhood trauma. We therefore assessed psychiatric diagnoses, history of ataque, and childhood trauma in treatment‐seeking Hispanic outpatients (N = 70). Significantly more subjects with an anxiety or affective disorder plus ataque reported a history of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and/or or a substance‐abusing caretaker than those with psychiatric disorder but no ataque. In some Hispanic individuals, ataque may represent a culturally sanctioned expression of extreme affect dysregulation associated with childhood trauma. Patients with ataque de nervios should receive a thorough traumatic history assessment.