Fanm Vanyan: A Cultural Interpretation of Resilience in Haitian Women

Introduction The concept of resilience is one that is not easily translatable in Haitian Creole. The word resilience does not exist. Haitian social workers, psychologists, and scholars have attempted to verbalize this concept in culturally relevant terms. The concept of resilience itself has various definitions in western society. The most recent consensus in the literature defines resilience as the ability to survive a trauma psychologically intact and be able to thrive. Yet thriving may not always be apparent given circumstances of poverty and long-term trauma. This paper describes the findings of a 2011 qualitative study on trauma and resilience in Haitian women earthquake survivors living in Boston Massachusetts. The women's narratives reveal how the concept of resilience may be understood within the Haitian culture. Background On January 12th, 2010 a massive earthquake struck the island nation of Haiti, killing up to 300,000 people. Countless others were never found and are assumed dead, denying their loved ones the ritual of burial. The earthquake devastated homes, businesses, government buildings, and roads. In the aftermath of the earthquake, many of those fortunate enough to have visas or other documentation to leave the country, fled. Many Haitian immigrants have come to Boston, MA, which has the third largest Haitian population in the U.S. These survivors came seeking stability and safety. Haitians have a long history of migration to the United States that has been tied to political, social, and economic strife in Haiti. There have been six waves of migration since 1957, when the Duvalier regime began. Although Haitians have consistently come to the U.S., the waves were periods when large quantities of Haitians entered the country. Cantave (2010) asserts that there may be more than two million Haitians living in the U.S. This number, he argues is greatly more inflated than census accounts due to both illegal entrants and those who held temporary or nonimmigrant visas but failed to return to Haiti at the appointed time. The U.S. Department of State issued nearly 24,000 non-immigrant visas to Haitians in fiscal year 2010. As in past times when those holding temporary visas failed to return home, this sixth wave of post-earthquake migration creates a new concern for an increase in undocumented immigrants. The literature on the mental health of disaster victims recognizes the psychological and social needs of earthquake survivors (Schinina, Aboul Hosn, Ataya, Dieuveut, & Salem, 2010). Earthquake survivors have been shown to exhibit symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress. Women, in particular, have been more psychologically affected by the trauma (Norris et al., 2002; Wang et al., 2009; Najarain, Goenijan, Pelcovitz, Mandel, & Najarian, 2001). Additionally, relocation after experiencing an earthquake has an adverse affect of psychological distress (Kilic et al., 2006). Salcioglu, Basoglu, & Livanou (2008) suggests that relocation after an earthquake can also serve as a protective factor in that victims may be alleviated of fear of further danger from earthquakes. The sparse literature on the mental health of Haitians argues that Haitians express depression and traumatic stress in ways that are culturally tied (Nicolas, Desilva, Grey & Gonzalez-Eastep, 2006; Nicolas et. al., 2007; Nicolas, Desilva, Prater, & Bronkoski, 2009; Desrosiers & Fleurose, 2002; WHO, 2010). Social, economic, political, and even environmental forces have consistently impacted Haitian migration to the U.S. The January 2010 earthquake in Haiti marked the beginning of a sixth migration wave of Haitians to the U.S. These immigrants are arriving having experienced tremendous personal and/or collective trauma. Haitians have had to overcome many challenges throughout history. The collective experiences, historical legacy, and the previous migration experiences of those who came to the U. …