Doctoral Dissertation Research: Citizenship, Ethnic Identity and Health

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Linda K. GeorgeTrenita B. ChildersDuke UniversityThe research proposes to make a theoretical contribution to the literature on the immigrant health paradox by incorporating key sociological perspectives-stress processes and identity theory. The established trends on the topic provide a good picture of how immigrant status and health are related. This project, however, will complete a qualitative analysis to provide more nuanced information about the key mechanisms by which specific social factors impact mental health. Existing literature on immigrant health and health status is largely based on results from the U.S. This research studies a non-U.S. context, adding greater depth to our understanding of how social factors influence immigrant health. Specifically, the research will examine immigrants within a developing country context with the goal to clarify the strength and generalizability of existing theoretical relationships of immigrant health . The study will include undocumented persons which could potentially further expand current understandings of how identity serves as a protective factor for mental health.Using original qualitative data, this dissertation research will examine immigrant status differences in mental health among ethnic Haitians living in the Dominican Republic (D.R.). The Dominican Republic has a unique racial structure, history, and documentation legislation, which create an ideal place to sift through relationships among social factors that influence mental health. This project emphasizes three primary themes: perceived discrimination, documentation status, and ethnic identity salience. The research question is two-fold: 1) How does immigrant status impact the mental health of ethnic Haitians living in the D.R.?, and 2) How do perceived discrimination, documentation status, and identity condition the relationship between immigrant status and mental health? This dissertation examines the ways that social factors influence mental health in a particular context. While all participants for this project are ethnic Haitians, the primary point of comparison is between those born in the D.R. and those born in Haiti. This comparison is critical because many people of Haitian descent who were born in the D.R. have been stripped of Dominican citizenship rendering them effectively stateless. Data are derived from two primary sources: a ten-month ethnographic investigation of a Haitian community in the D.R. and 60 in-depth interviews with residents. The secondary data collection strategy involves interviews with key informants at a clinic that serves people of Haitian descent in the region. Broader ImpactsThis study has the potential for a significant broader impact. First, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and service providers for immigrant populations will possibly gain greater insight into the immigrant experience. In the D.R., as in the U.S., organizations fund interventions aimed at improving immigrants' health and well-being. Mexican immigrants to the U.S. are an example of an immigrant group that also confronts issues surrounding perceived discrimination, documentation status, and ethnic identity salience. Given these similarities, this research is well-positioned to facilitate discussion in in the U.S. among sociologists, psychologists, migration and human rights scholars, and global health scholars. Finally, this project will establish partnerships with Dominican scholars including faculty and graduate students in the D.R. who are engaged in similar research. This will enhance the infrastructure for future collaborative research and education. Results will engage multiple audiences in the critical conversation about the impact of sociopolitical factors on mental health.