Copyright © by the Southern Rural Sociological Association PTSD TREATMENT-SEEKING AMONG RURAL LATINO COMBAT VETERANS: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE*

Latino combat soldiers report both higher prevalence and greater overall severity of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms than non-Hispanic Caucasians. However, these veterans face unique social and cultural barriers to accessing treatment for PTSD that distinguish them from their non-Hispanic white counterparts. Latino veterans who reside in rural settings face additional socio-cultural and structural impediments, in that they are likely to reside far from VA (Veterans Administration) medical facilities, have limited access to public transportation, and hold more conservative views toward mental health treatment than those residing in urban locales. However, little is known about the unique individual, sociocultural, and structural barriers to treatment faced by rural Latino veterans. This paper synthesizes the separate mental health and treatment-seeking literatures pertaining to Latinos, rural populations, and veterans, with the goal of identifying fruitful areas of conceptual overlap, and providing direction for future theory building, research, and targeted interventions. Exposure to emotional trauma, particularly battlefield conflict, has long been associated with psychiatric harm (Coleman 2006; Dedert et al. 2009; Mayeux et al. 2008), particularly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Wilk et al. 2010)