In their own words: Resilience among haitians in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake and its implications for clinical practice

Background: Resilience literature is often associated with traumatogenic events. Globally and historically, Haitians have survived cumulative personal, social and geographical trauma. Following the 2010 earthquake, survivors were clearly symptomatic, but many sources described them as resilient. Lacking were Haitian-specific definitions of resilience that would help clinicians identify best interventions. Methods: Using pre-established criteria, we researched conceptualizations of resilience published between 2000 and 2012 as a framework to analyze data from a mixed-method study conducted in Haiti (2010-2012). Atlas.ti. facilitated thematic analysis of (1) semi-structured interviews of community leaders (n=38), (2) focus groups of community members from 3 different neighborhoods (6 focus groups [n=36]) and town hall meetings (n=2) for verification. SPSS facilitated analysis of demographic data. Results: Our interviewees indicate that Haitian resilience (1) incorporates aspects of extant conceptualizations of resilience; (2) is a contextual resignation to survive as a matter of choice—when there is no apparent action that the individual/community can take to mitigate traumatic events; (3) is reinforced communally through proverbs; and (4) is grounded in spirituality. Testimonials of our interviewees and traditional proverbs they used are included. Conclusions/Implications: Scientific literature on resilience reveals transferable but insufficient knowledge for best practice with Haitians and in the Diaspora. Competent clinicians can benefit from knowledge of Haitian clients' cultural definitions of resilience and the reinforcing factors. Future studies should address the development of context-specific interventions for survivors in Haiti and in the Diaspora and identify the roles of relevant partners in such efforts.