Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Biocultural Production of Resilience

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).

What allows some people to navigate adversity better than others and how can these factors be used to improve human wellbeing? Answers to this question have important implications for an array of disciplines, including anthropology, psychiatry, human development, public health, and disaster management. This doctoral dissertation project aims to provide greater clarity on this matter both to improve broad scientific understanding of human adaptation and to inform policy and programs aimed at the promotion of human wellbeing, especially in the face of hardships that affect people around the globe, such as political instability, economic difficulties, and interpersonal conflict.

In addition to providing scientific training for a graduate student, this project is characterized by cooperative international partnerships which both broaden the scientific participation of underrepresented groups and allow for the insights and data produced to go directly into the hands of those who shape policy and programs that impact health.

This doctoral dissertation project examines differences in resilience among mothers and children living in the context of intense political and socioeconomic hardship, comparing outcomes before and after a series of community-wide adverse events. Resilience is best understood as better-than-expected outcomes in the face of adversity. This research seeks to identify the types of resources, both material and abstract, that help women and children more successfully navigate difficult circumstances, as well as explore transgenerational factors that contribute to resilience.

A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods will be used to assess changes in the mental and physical health of women and children over time, examine the relationship between maternal and child resilience, and explore the role of varying philosophies of struggle in fostering resilience.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.