RESUMEN
Background: Transnational drug trafficking, political unrest, gang violence, and paramilitarism, which are pervasive in Haiti, have resulted in a mental health crisis for the broader Haitian community. This study explores the mental well-being of Haitians in Haiti and the United States by identifying barriers and facilitators to mental health through the lived experiences of men and women. Method: Four Focus group discussions conducted in April and November 2023 engaged 28 participants (20 women and eight men) aged between 23 and 60 years from locations in Haiti (Port-au-Prince, Cite Soleil, Cayes, Cap-Haitien, Saint-Marc) and the United States. Discussions revolved around the definition of mental health, stressors, coping mechanisms, risk and protective factors, and barriers to mental health care. Results: Six principal themes emerged: 1- Chronic Traumatic Stress: continued violence, political instability, unemployment, lack of social support, adverse childhood experiences, family separation, and forced displacement were significant sources of stress. 2- Increased Health Burden: Participants reported experiencing chronic physical and psychological symptoms [i.e., hypertension, anxiety, depression, sleep issues, substance abuse, suicidal ideations, characteristics of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)], which were attributed to Haiti's social, political, and infrastructure collapse. 3- Risk Factors: limited access to mental health services, pervasive hopelessness, scarcity of opportunities, and stigma were identified as significant risks. 4- Future Uncertainty: widespread concerns regarding the future predominated. 5- Multigenerational Concerns: Significant anxiety concerning the mental health and development of children, as well as the functionality of mental health practitioners, was noted. 6- Coping and Protective Factors: Effective coping strategies include mental stimulation, peer support, managing digital consumption, engaging in leisurely activities, such as listening to music, and faith/spirituality. Conclusion: The study's findings underscore the sociopolitical and economic crisis in Haiti, which has resulted in violence and a dismantle of political, educational, financial, and health infrastructures. These factors were identified as the primary source of chronic distress, contributing to widespread mental health issues, adverse physical symptoms, and disruption in daily life. The implications for practice, healing, research & policy are discussed.
Asunto(s)
Grupos Focales , Humanos , Haití , Masculino , Femenino , Adulto , Persona de Mediana Edad , Salud Mental , Adulto Joven , Estrés Psicológico/psicología , Estados Unidos , Adaptación Psicológica , Investigación Cualitativa , Trastornos Mentales/epidemiología , Trastornos Mentales/psicología , Factores de Riesgo , Violencia/psicología , Violencia/estadística & datos numéricosRESUMEN
Background: Transnational drug trafficking, political unrest, gang violence, and paramilitarism, which are pervasive in Haiti, have resulted in a mental health crisis for the broader Haitian community. This study explores the mental well-being of Haitians in Haiti and the United States by identifying barriers and facilitators to mental health through the lived experiences of men and women. Method: Four Focus group discussions conducted in April and November 2023 engaged 28 participants (20 women and eight men) aged between 23 and 60 years from locations in Haiti (Port-au-Prince, Cite Soleil, Cayes, Cap-Haitien, Saint-Marc) and the United States. Discussions revolved around the definition of mental health, stressors, coping mechanisms, risk and protective factors, and barriers to mental health care. Results: Six principal themes emerged: 1- Chronic Traumatic Stress: continued violence, political instability, unemployment, lack of social support, adverse childhood experiences, family separation, and forced displacement were significant sources of stress. 2- Increased Health Burden: Participants reported experiencing chronic physical and psychological symptoms (i.e., hypertension, anxiety, depression, sleep issues, substance abuse, suicidal ideations, characteristics of post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]), which were attributed to Haiti's social, political, and infrastructure collapse. 3- Risk Factors: limited access to mental health services, pervasive hopelessness, scarcity of opportunities, and stigma were identified as significant risks. 4- Future Uncertainty: widespread concerns regarding the future predominated. 5- Multigenerational Concerns: Significant anxiety concerning the mental health and development of children, as well as the functionality of mental health practitioners, was noted. 6- Coping and Protective Factors: Effective coping strategies include mental stimulation, peer support, managing digital consumption, engaging in leisurely activities, such as listening to music, and faith/spirituality. Conclusion: The study's findings underscore the sociopolitical and economic crisis in Haiti, which has resulted in violence and a collapse of political, educational, financial, and health infrastructures. These factors were identified as the primary source of chronic distress, contributing to widespread mental health issues, adverse physical symptoms, and disruption in daily life. The implications for practice, healing, research & policy are discussed.
RESUMEN
The scientific contributions of Western mental health professionals have been lauded and leveraged for global mental health responses to varying degrees of success. In recent years, the necessity of recognizing the inefficiencies of solely etic and Western-based psychological intervention has been reflected in certain decolonial scholars like Frantz Fanon gaining more recognition. Despite this urgent focus on decolonial psychology, there are still others whose work has historically and contemporarily not received a great deal of attention. There is no better example of such a scholar than Dr. Louis Mars, Haiti's first psychiatrist. Mars made a lasting impact on the communities of Haiti by shifting the conversation around Haitian culture and the practice of how people living with a mental illness were treated. Further, he influenced the global practice of psychiatry by coining "ethnopsychiatry" and asserting that non-Western culture should be intimately considered, rather than stigmatized, in treating people around the world. Unfortunately, the significance of his contributions to ethnopsychiatry, ethnodrama, and the subsequent field of psychology has effectively been erased from the disciplinary canon. Indeed, the weight of Mars' psychiatric and political work deserves focus. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
Asunto(s)
Población Negra , Cultura , Etnopsicología , Trastornos Mentales , Psiquiatría , Humanos , Masculino , Población Negra/historia , Población Negra/psicología , Comunicación , Etnopsicología/historia , Haití , Trastornos Mentales/etnología , Trastornos Mentales/psicología , Trastornos Mentales/terapia , Política , Psiquiatría/educación , Psiquiatría/historia , Psiquiatría/normas , Psicología/historiaRESUMEN
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: There is evidence that the exposure to a major natural disaster such as the 2010 earthquake in Haiti may have devastating short- and long-term effects on children's mental health and overall development. This review summarizes what has been reported in the past 3 years (2017-2020) regarding emotional, psychological, and behavioral effects of exposure to this particular earthquake on children 10 years and older. RECENT FINDINGS: Twenty-six articles were screened, of which twenty-one were selected for final analysis. The main themes addressed in the literature over the 3 years concerned prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, determinants of resilience factors, prevalence of sexual violence as well as prenatal exposure, and subsequent autism behaviors/symptoms. The majority of the findings analyzed in this review on mental health in young Haitian survivors of the 2010 earthquake came from cross-sectional studies conducted in West region of Haiti, spefically Port-au-Prince. There was a paucity of longitudinal and translational data available. The results of this critical review can be used to inform disaster preparedness programs with the aim of protecting children's development and mental health, which are much needed on this disaster-prone island.
Asunto(s)
Desastres , Terremotos , Trastornos por Estrés Postraumático , Niño , Estudios Transversales , Haití/epidemiología , Humanos , Salud Mental , Trastornos por Estrés Postraumático/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
In the 1st trimester of 2020, there were mixed feelings among Haitians about the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. In effect, many of the concerns emanating from the relatively weak health infrastructure in Haiti were analyzed from a resilience perspective. Many professionals living in Haiti with whom we have conversed believe that Haitians were better prepared to cope with the social distancing and mental health outcomes associated with the pandemic because of their 3-month exposure to the effects of Peyi Lòk ("country in lockdown") as well as previous major natural disasters. In that regard, previous traumatic exposures may serve as a buffer against the debilitating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic among Haitians. For the past 3 months, Haitians have naturally adopted a practical posture to cope with the pandemic where only school buildings are closed. Consequently, we remain convinced that from a psychological perspective, individuals from high-income countries that are severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic could learn from the Haitian way of coping with large-scale disasters. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Asunto(s)
Adaptación Psicológica , Actitud Frente a la Salud , Betacoronavirus , Infecciones por Coronavirus/psicología , Neumonía Viral/psicología , Resiliencia Psicológica , COVID-19 , Haití , Humanos , Pandemias , SARS-CoV-2RESUMEN
In January 2010, Haiti was hit by a terrible earthquake that pushed thousands of people to migrate. Many of them chose to settle in Quebec, Canada. Years after the earthquake, many Haitians continue to migrate to the Quebec province. Several studies however have shown that this population's socioeconomic status is lower than the provincial average. Given the potential multiple stressors that affect Haitian migrants in Quebec, there are concerns about their health status. Located at the intersection of international migration studies and global public health, this paper offers an in-depth qualitative investigation of Haitian migrants' representations of both their situation and self-perceived health in Montreal, Quebec. Our perspective on migrant health was inspired by the World Health Organisation's framework on the social determinants of health and recent studies in the field of migrant health. We collected and analysed qualitative data from 23 key informants (i.e., 12 women and 11 men, aged 21-76 years old) from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. The analysis of the data from these people's narratives revealed the importance of structural determinants such as social position, and intermediate determinants such as living and working conditions. Our analysis also highlighted several interrelations between those determinants. Specifically, participants reported coping with issues related to migration status, income, occupation, language, challenging living and working conditions, and chronic stress. This study also shows that racism and social support each relate to both the structural and intermediate levels of the social determinants of health. The importance of social support brought by relatives, friends, as well as community-based organisations and religious practice, was underscored. Our findings were coherent with available literature looking at the determinants of health of racialized and migrant minorities in other high-income regions of the world. Our conclusive remarks featured reflections on three cross-cutting issues and their practical implications for policy and practices.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: This study examines relationships between religious beliefs regarding the origin of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and posttraumatic symptomatology as well as depressive symptoms and resilience among its survivors. METHOD: We used convenient sampling to recruit participants (n=167). They completed six scales, which had been translated into Haitian Creole, including measures such as the Earthquake Experiences Exposure (EEE), the Peritraumatic Distress Inventory (PDI), the Peritraumatic Dissociative Experience Questionnaire (PDEQ), the PTSD Checklist (PTSD-CL), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD- RISC) RESULTS: Among our participants, 51% were male, (mean age=30.5, SD=11.03), 92% (n=155) were believers in some sort of supernatural force and 65% (n=108) endorsed the earthquake as a natural phenomenon. There was significant difference in average scores at peritraumatic distress, PTSD symptoms and Resilience measures between those perceiving a divine origin and/or a punishment through the event and those who did not. Peritraumatic responses were best predictors for PTSD (ß=.366, p<.001) and Depression symptoms (ß=.384, p<.001). Voodoo adherents appeared to be vulnerable to depression, but reported superior resilience factors.
Asunto(s)
Depresión/psicología , Curación por la Fe/psicología , Resiliencia Psicológica , Trastornos por Estrés Postraumático/psicología , Sobrevivientes/psicología , Adulto , Depresión/diagnóstico , Depresión/epidemiología , Terremotos , Curación por la Fe/estadística & datos numéricos , Femenino , Haití/epidemiología , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Escalas de Valoración Psiquiátrica , Factores de Riesgo , Factores Socioeconómicos , Trastornos por Estrés Postraumático/diagnóstico , Trastornos por Estrés Postraumático/epidemiología , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Sobrevivientes/estadística & datos numéricos , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: More than 500 studies were conducted in Haiti following the January 12 of 2010 earthquake, yet few of them assessed mental health of the population. To our knowledge, none targeted the effectiveness of various methods used to treat survivors, whether adults or children METHOD: Our study aimed to assess one year after the disaster, the effect of a specific psycho-social support offered to relocated children in Port-au-Prince compared with a control group. RESULTS: The two groups were homogeneous in the intensity of the peritraumatic distress they experienced. We were unable to show a significant difference between both in the average scores for PTSD, nor for depression, nor in three out of the four sub-scales of the Child Behavior Check-List. In case children, 68% and 40.9%, respectively, and 50% and 20.5% of the control group, reported severe levels of the symptoms of PTSD and depression. These surprising results can be explained by the absence of equivalence in the two groups from a socio-demographic point of view and because subjects were not randomly selected in the recruitment process. CONCLUSION: This study has not made it possible to indicate the effectiveness of a specific psycho-social support offered to children in the aftermath of the disaster. On the other hand, the sample illustrates the high prevalence (more than 50% for PTSD) of severe post-traumatic stress in this group of school-age children, one year after the earthquake. These results indicate that serious attention should be paid to the mental health aspects in reconstruction program for the country.