'Forever marked': A qualitative study exploring cultural terminology for PTSD among Haitian immigrant women

On January 12, 2010, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti leaving millions displaced or without a home and an estimates of close to 300,000 deaths (Kobetz et al., 2012; Kolbe et al., 2010; USAID/OFDA, 2011). Similar to many others studies conducted in Haiti after the earthquake (James, Noel, Favorite, & Solon Jean, 2012; Silvestre et al., 2014; Wagenaar, Hagaman, Kaiser, McLean, & Kohrt, 2012), the authors utilized Haitian-Creole translated measures, clinical interviews, and survey instruments based off of DSM-IV-TR definitions of PTSD. However, no study to date has investigated PTSD from a cultural perspective, specifically how Haitians define and express PTSD. This study examined the cultural terminology for PTSD symptoms among immigrant Haitian women who were directly and indirectly impacted by the earthquake. Using a mixed methods design, 20 adult Haitian women were asked to participate in semi-structured interviews and complete a PTSD screener. We found that the women described their experiences in multiple ways which were influenced by their culture, more specifically, where the problems manifest, the cause of the earthquake and its psychological impact, particularly being "forever marked" by their experiences. Quantitative analysis was conducted to corroborate the findings found from thematic analysis. Implications for clinical and school psychology are discussed.