TY - JOUR PY - 2015// TI - Cultural considerations in the treatment of mental illness among sexually abused children and adolescents: the case of Bali, Indonesia JO - New directions for child and adolescent development A1 - Lesmana, Cokorda Bagus J. A1 - Suryani, Luh Ketut A1 - Tiliopoulos, Niko SP - 109 EP - 116 VL - 2015 IS - 147 N2 - Childhood and adolescence sexual abuse can have long-lasting and devastating effects on personal and interpersonal growth and development. Sexually abused children tend to exhibit higher rates of poor school performance, aggressive behavior, PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder), or depressive symptomatology, as well as social and relational deficits (e.g., age-inappropriate sexual behaviors). The trauma following such abuse can further affect neurodevelopment and physiology, aggravating mental or physical problems in adulthood. Early symptom recognition and appropriate interventional applications are important factors in successfully treating or even preventing the development of mental disorders in such cohorts. A central element of effective treatment is the selection of treatment targets. Cultural considerations are rarely or peripherally considered in sexual abuse treatment strategies. Western-trained psychiatrists and clinical psychologists tend to overlook or underestimate such factors in cross-cultural settings, resulting in interventional efforts that may interfere with traditional approaches to healing, and potentially contributing to a transgenerational cycle of trauma. By using Bali (Indonesia) as a focal culture, in this article we discuss the effects of cultural elements and showcase their potential contribution and systematic implementation into a holistic and sensitive interventional model for the treatment of mental illness in childhood and adolescence sexual traumatization. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 1520-3247 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cad.20092 ID - ref1 ER -