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'Jus' how me pick up me roof jus' so they want me to pick up me life too, you hear dat'. A thematic analysis of the experiences of adolescents following Hurricane Ivan in Grenada

Antoine, S. and Callaghan, J. (2010) 'Jus' how me pick up me roof jus' so they want me to pick up me life too, you hear dat'. A thematic analysis of the experiences of adolescents following Hurricane Ivan in Grenada. Paper presented to: 3rd Qualitative Research on Mental Health Conference (QRMH3): The Disabled Self: Theoretical and Empirical Approaches to Stigma and Recovery, University of Nottingham, 25-27 August 2010. (Unpublished)

Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Abstract: In 2004, Hurricane Ivan caused catastrophic damage to Grenada. This paper draws on seventeen retrospective interviews with young adults (18-25), conducted in 2008 by Sonja Antoine, in which participants recalled their experiences during and after the hurricane, focusing on how they experienced and coped with its aftermath, and their experiences of care and intervention. Most psychological research on natural disasters focuses on PTSD and young people’s ‘psychopathological’ responses. In contrast, our research shifts away from the pathology oriented narrative and its potentially stigmatizing and disempowering implications, focusing instead on how young people within communities disrupted by the disaster recovered from and coped with the experience of Ivan. Using thematic analysis, we identified three key themes: ‘community, culture and the person therein’, ‘the individual in trauma’ and ‘power struggle – us versus them’. We explore a range of cultural issues relating to traumatic events, arising in community narratives, and locate these in relation to the Grenadian communities’ experiences of coping with the crisis. Considering the mental health implications of this analysis, we argue that in the aftermath of natural disasters, we need a more nuanced understanding of how mental health functions as a community issue
Subjects: R Medicine > RJ Pediatrics > RJ499 Mental disorders. Child psychiatry > RJ503 Adolescent psychiatry
B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology > BF76.5 Psychology research
H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology > HV551.2 Emergency management > HV553 Relief in case of disasters
Creators: Antoine, Sonja and Callaghan, Jane
Faculties, Divisions and Institutes: University Faculties, Divisions and Research Centres - OLD > Research Group > Social and Cultural Research in Psychology Group
University Faculties, Divisions and Research Centres - OLD > Faculty of Health & Society > Psychology
Faculties > Faculty of Health & Society > Psychology
Research Centres > Centre for Psychology and Social Sciences
Date: 27 August 2010
Date Type: Presentation
Event Title: 3rd Qualitative Research on Mental Health Conference (QRMH3): The Disabled Self: Theoretical and Empirical Approaches to Stigma and Recovery
Event Dates: 25-27 August 2010
Event Location: University of Nottingham
Event Type: Conference
Language: English
Status: Unpublished
Refereed: Yes
Related URLs:
URI: http://nectar.northampton.ac.uk/id/eprint/2711

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