Subject Area
Anthropology
Abstract
With increasing numbers of migrants worldwide (IOM 2020) due to wars, violence, famine, and economic devastation, understanding the physical and psychological stress experienced my migrants is increasingly important. Migrants rely upon both formal and informal networks of support- networks that can both assist and constrict migrants (Rosales 2014). Migrant religion, which has been documented to provide support to migrants throughout the migration process (Eppsteiner and Hagan 2016), merits further examination because of its potential influence on migrant health and wellbeing. This research addresses this need by examining how migrants utilize religion – particularly the social support it provides – as a coping resource to buffer from the psychosocial stressors of transnational migration through a case study of Latinx Latter-day Saint (LDS, Mormon) migrants in Texas using a biocultural approach. While studies of social support abound within and outside of anthropology, much of this research approaches social support from researcher-driven definitions of social support. Culturally-specific models, however, reveal critical differences in how individuals understand social support, as well as its relationship with measures of well-being, such as stress (Dressler 1985). This project utilizes cultural domain analysis (CDA) to compare local models of social support as understood by Latter-day Saints in Dallas, Texas, with current popular typologies seen in the literature. I describe how the local cultural model of social support among Latter-day Saints differs in broad types of support recognized as well as specific actions seen to be supportive from current social support literature. I then focus my analysis on a comparison of the how Hispanic immigrant Latter-day Saints’ understanding of social support compare and contrast with how non-Hispanic, non-immigrant Latter-day Saints understand social support. I find that these two groups share a cultural model of social support. However, based on psychological and biological measurements of stress and depression (hair cortisol concentrations, perceived psychological well-being scores), there is a difference in the relationship between the perceived availability of support and health outcomes for immigrants and non-immigrants in this sample. Specifically, while there is an inverse relationship between the perceived availability of support and depression levels for non-immigrants, this same relationship does not exist for immigrants. Based on ethnographic data, I argue that this difference may be due to immigrants encountering racism and anti-immigrant stereotypes, including within religious spaces. Thus, for immigrants, perceiving an availability of support is not necessarily associated with psychologically beneficial outcomes.
This project contributes a much-needed biocultural perspective on immigrant religious communities. It also demonstrates the need for social support research to more carefully examine local interpretations of support, particularly when trying to find patterns between social support and health. Finally, it incorporates innovative methods of stress measurement through the use of hair cortisol, which is still relatively rare in biocultural anthropology. It also provides insights into practical ways that religious leaders can better meet the needs of religious immigrants today.
Degree Date
Summer 2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Department
Anthropology
Advisor
Michael Adler
Second Advisor
Carolyn Smith-Morris
Number of Pages
352
Format
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
Bingham Thomas, Elizabeth, "Social Support and Wellbeing Among Latinx Latter-day Saints in Dallas, Texas" (2024). Anthropology Theses and Dissertations.
https://scholar.smu.edu/hum_sci_anthropology_etds/23
