Dissertation Research: Culture Change, Stress and Immune Function in Western Samoan Youth

关于健康和文化变化的人类学研究强调，这种变化往往是社会心理压力的一个重要来源。许多研究已经一致证明了压力对人体免疫功能的负面影响。本研究旨在将发展的视角引入压力与文化变迁的人类学研究，并将免疫学的方法纳入压力与适应的人类学研究。将对正在经历不同程度现代化的6个西萨摩亚村庄的个人进行Epstein-Barr病毒抗体水平（一种细胞介导免疫功能的衡量标准）、皮质醇（一种反应性的衡量标准）和c反应蛋白（病原体暴露的标志）的评估。这些措施将从与卫生署年度丝虫病调查合作，通过手指棒血液样本收集的干血斑中获得。还将收集有关压力和文化变化的多个维度的数据。本研究从跨文化的角度探讨应激与免疫功能的关系，并从发展的角度探讨现代化应激的问题。

Anthropological studies of health and culture change emphasize that such change is frequently a significant source of psychosocial stress. Numerous studies have now consistently demonstrated the negative effects of stress on human immune function. This study proposes to introduce a developmental perspective to anthropological studies of stress and culture change, and to incorporate immunological measures into the anthropology of stress and adaptation. Individuals from 6 Western Samoan villages undergoing varying degrees of modernization will be assessed for Epstein-Barr virus antibody levels (a measure of cell-mediated immune function), cortisol (a measure of reactivity), and C-reactive protein (a marker of pathogen exposure). These measures will be obtained from dried blood spots collected via finger-stick blood samples in collaboration with the annual Department of Health filariasis survey. Data also will be collected on multiple dimensions of stress and culture change. This study pursues a cross-cultural perspective on the relationships between stress and immune function and applies a developmental perspective to the problem of modernization stress.