CONTACT - Volume 8, Number 2
Research Abstract

My Body in Miami, My Soul in Haiti: Understanding the Adolescent Who Is Haitian

Dr. Jessie Colin, Assistant Professor of Nursing, recently received a doctorate from Adelphi University, New York. This abstract describes her dissertation.

Although much research has been conducted on the effects of migration on the psychosocial evolution of various ethnic groups, only limited information exists about the meaning of migration for Haitians in general and the Haitian adolescent in particular. Adolescence is a vulnerable time. It is described as a period of turbulence, storm, stress, and passion (Violato, 1991). Haitian adolescents, in addition to experiencing the trials of adolescence, often feel a sense of loss and confusion when they are forced to leave their homeland.

The social science, nursing, and health care literature on adolescents and their families in the United States have not effectively addressed the issues of ethnicity, minority status, and sub-cultural populations. The problem to be addressed is our lack of understanding and knowledge about the experience of being a Haitian adolescent living in the U.S. This lack of understanding existentially validates the need for qualitative research aimed at increased understanding.

The phenomenological work of VanManen and Munhall guided this qualitative study. Six Haitian adolescents were interviewed and asked to produce writings about their experiences and perception of self identity. Their responses evaluated in light of Piaget, Erikson, and Sullivan illustrated eight themes defining their sense of identity: pride, isolation, prejudice, parental strictness, nostalgia, belonging, familism, and career vision. Like all adolescents, these subjects were engaged in identity formation; but unlike other adolescents, they demonstrated ambivalence about their identity in relation to race, language, and pride in national origin. Nursing is a practice discipline and providing culturally competent care that is ethnically based is central to it. Both culture and ethnicity have a tremendous impact on illness, health, and health-seeking behaviors. The insights acquired through this study have practical applications in designing of more effective caring strategies, in advocating for clients, and in delivering culturally competent nursing care.

Recommendations for future studies include development of a conceptual model based on the concept of integration and how it helps shape identity. Another area is an historical one, tracing the immigrant experience from the early nineteen hundreds up to the present. Such a study might lead to a better understanding of how migration affects all ethnic groups. Additionally, comparative studies of various ethnic groups such as Cubans, Nigerians, Pakistanis, and others would be useful to reach a better understanding of these groups' acculturation process and their subsequent needs. Finally, due to the scarcity of Haitian nurses at all levels of nursing practice, research regarding recruitment and retention strategies could reveal why there are so few Haitian nurses and how to adjust these numbers to better serve the population.