The researcher, Bronwyn Nicole Kaiser, under the supervision of Dr. Craig Hadley will explore how stress is manifested and negotiated under situations of extraordinary duress. A growing group of anthropologists and others have theorized that everyday stressors (poverty, social relationships, and other cultural obligations) have more important impacts on mental health than previously thought. This perspective contrasts with theorizing among other disciplines, which regard trauma and disasters as central forces driving distress. This project will test these contrasting theories in Haiti, where people have long suffered from many daily hardships because of poverty, but have also experienced trauma because of the recent earthquake. Using a mixed method ethnographic and biocultural approach, the researcher will investigate the links between stressors, mental health outcomes, and physiological stress through an ethnographic exploration of distress, coping, and resilience.
The study contributes to the debates in anthropology and the social sciences more broadly about stress and coping, mental health and resilience. The project has strong potential to inform work in global mental health broadly by rigorously testing links between sociocultural and physiological phenomena to understand the salient manifestations of suffering and distress. The project thus provides a particularly timely contribution to debates both within anthropology and of general scholarly and public interest.
The project will contribute to the training of a female doctoral student, and through the dissemination of findings to healthcare providers and policymakers, will help to inform health care provision, particularly among historically disadvantaged groups.
At the mention of Haiti, negative images readily come to mind – earthquakes and hurricanes, Vodou curses and zombies, AIDS and cholera. But in the media and everyday discourse, we also encounter firmly entrenched positive stereotypes, such as the notion that Haiti is a nation of resilience. It has become commonplace to hear how Haitians "weather storms" and endure disasters – seemingly effortlessly. But this characterization is rarely critiqued. When discourse unquestioningly accepts that all Haitians are resilient, what does this mean for those suffering from depression? Or those who have attempted suicide? Accepting resilience as "natural" – as some innate quality within Haitians – clouds our understanding of the forms of suffering, traumatic events, and daily obstacles that many rural Haitians experience. After all, since Haitians are so resilient, won’t they "naturally" bounce back after their latest setback? What if, instead, we undertook an "on-the-ground" investigation of resilience? In my research in Haiti, I conceptualized resilience as the maintenance of good mental health despite stressors. Based on a 322-person survey, I identified 15 participants who – despite enduring significant stressors – maintained good mental health. Through interviews and observation, I explored what behaviors, attitudes, and supports enabled these individuals to maintain good mental health. As a comparison, I also followed 15 individuals who had endured similar stressors yet experienced significant mental distress. Through direct comparison of these "resilient" and "distressed" individuals, I have uncovered three elements of resilience in this context: First, predictable, other-focused social interactions; second, a focus on changing things under one’s control, rather than waiting for outside help; and third, social and economic buffers, such as extended family and friends and finances. Central to post-earthquake rebuilding efforts will be developing Haiti’s budding mental healthcare system. Awareness of solutions that already exist to protect against mental illness can inform meaningful, cost-effective mental healthcare. This study reveals behaviors, thought patterns, and support systems that could be incorporated into programs addressing mental illness. By rethinking our assumptions about resilience in Haiti, we not only uncover a large burden of mental health needs, but we begin to appreciate solutions that already exist and can be readily expanded.
