Traumatic Stress after a Natural Disaster: A Multidisciplinary Assessment of PTSD Prevalence and Traditional and Emerging Cultural Discourses of Distress in Post-Earthquake Haiti began with IRB evaluation and approval at Duke and in Haiti. Conceptualized in relation to pilot data and interviews administered by Jenson, Pierre, Walmer, and students in 2010, the study was launched with Pierre, Walmer, Haitian health professionals, and DukeEngage Haiti undergraduates in June and July of 2011. As part of this project, DukeEngage students, under the supervision of Walmer and Family Health Ministries Research Director Nicole Tinfo, continue to collect quantitative and qualitative data on post-traumatic stress disorder in Haiti, using interviews to discover the cultural aspects of shock, grief, distress, and/or trauma in both pre and post-earthquake situations.
Image: Deborah Jenson conducting an interview with 2011 DukeEngage students. Courtesy of Family Health Ministries.