Migrant Identity Framework: Stressful Effects of Migration on Female Haitian Immigrants to the Dominican Republic

Background and Purpose: The stressful effects of migration have an impact on the health and well-being of migrants across geographical locations. There is a complex intersection of push and pull factors that impact why people migrate. Haitian women have recently experienced push factors including a series of large-scale natural disasters, and as a result of pull factors, such as economic improvement through domestic employment, have been immigrating to the Dominican Republic in greater numbers than males. As a result of longstanding conflict between the two countries, the 1,000,000 Haitians who have recently immigrated to the Dominican Republic are especially vulnerable to marginalization, oppression, and discrimination. Haitian female immigrants are increasingly experiencing unique stressful effects following migration including human rights violations, violence, and psychological distress.

Though there is a well-developed body of literature that examines migration and its stressful effects, scant attention has been paid to the unique effects experienced by this population despite the growing numbers and well-documented vulnerability to continued push factors.  There is a notable gap in identification of theoretical frameworks that allow for a thorough understanding of this social phenomenon. To begin to fill this gap and establish solid grounding for systematic research in this area, with implications for wider use, this poster will present a conceptual framework that was developed via the application of Jaccard and Jacoby’s (2010) method for theory construction and model building.

Methods:

A literature review was conducted using PsychInfo, Social Sciences Database, ScienceDirect, PubMed Central, and Social Science Abstracts applying various combinations of the search terms “Haitian, immigrant, Dominican Republic,” “stressful effects of migration,” feminization of migration,” “Haitian migrant mental health,” and “migrant mental health.” Because literature specific to the population was limited, review was expanded to target these issues more broadly. Following Jaccard and Jacoby’s methods, relevant concepts were identified and systematically and collaboratively clarified in an iterative process to ensure reliability and shared meaning. Concepts were then adapted as constructs, and relationships between them were established and refined.

Results:

The literature yielded several key variables that are relevant to this population’s unique identity, including race/ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status. These variables significantly affect this population’s migration experience resulting in unique stressful effects. To build systematically on the existent conceptual foundation, applicable theories were identified including Portes’ push-pull theory, Galtung’s triangle of violence theory, and Galan’s multidimensional transactional model of bicultural identity.  These theories have not been applied to the specific population and its unique circumstances, therefore were limited in ability to fully capture this complex issue. 

Conclusions and Implications:

The proposed conceptual framework fills a notable gap in the literature by incorporating the relationship between identity and migration, building on extant theory to provide a foundation for much needed research with this population, as well as others experiencing similar circumstances. Given the grave conditions experienced by women in their home country of Haiti and the particular challenges they face when they immigrate to the Dominican Republic, more knowledge in this area is needed to inform policy and practice interventions.