Status Incongruity in Samoan Youth: A Biocultural Analysis of Culture Change, Stress, and Immune Function

Abstract

In Samoa, the presence of a matai title in the family has historically been a valued source of social status. However, as the process of Westernization continues, new sources of social status are emerging. This study explores the degree to which new and old markers of social status agree--or disagree--and the consequences they have for the experience of stress in 329 Samoan adolescents. The study integrates cultural and biological methods and data, and measures an aspect of immune function (antibodies against the Epstein-Barr virus) as a biomarker of psychosocial stress. Results indicate that status "incongruent" adolescents experience significantly more stress (indicated by reduced immune function), and that emerging markers of social status are becoming inextricably linked to "traditional" markers in such a way that discordance between them is a significant source of stress. This study proposes new conceptual models for future studies of culture change and suggests that biomarkers may represent ethnographic tools that can provide insight into hidden cultural dynamics and the experience of stress.

Early environments and the ecology of inflammation

“…The impact of stress on multiple aspects of immunity is well-established, and it has been investigated primarily in adulthood. The few studies conducted with children and adolescents indicate significant adverse impacts as well (28)(29)(30), whereas experimental research with nonhuman primates suggests that maternal stress during pregnancy and maternal separation in infancy have substantial effects on offspring immune function that persist beyond infancy (31,32). Recently, neglect or abuse in early childhood has been associated with reduced cell-mediated immunity and increased inflammation in adolescence and young adulthood (33,34).…”

Homeless street children in Nepal: Use of allostatic load to assess the burden of childhood adversity

“…A pandemic herpes virus, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infects and chronically inhabits 80% to 90% of American adults by the age of 40 (Henle & Henle, 1982;Jones & Straus, 1987), but attains 100% prevalence by age 5 years in non-Western populations with greater exposure and vulnerability. A fingerprick blood spot method for assessing EBV antibody titers (EBV-Ab), developed for field studies, has been used to demonstrate the impact of acculturation stress on Samoan adolescents as well as of family stress on American youth (McDade, 2002;McDade et al, 2000). Yet so far, the psychoneuroimmunological literature on psychosocial stress has failed to consider the impact of high pathogen load interacting with marginal nutrition, a condition uncommon in European and North American populations but prevalent in much of the rest of the world.…”

Population Levels of Psychological Stress, Herpesvirus Reactivation and HIV

“…Psychosocial, physical, and environmental stressors can trigger increased antibody response to latent herpesviruses, including HSV-2 and EBV (Kennedy 1996). Many psychosocial stressors have been found to significantly increase antibody titers to herpesviruses, including negative life events, chronic stress associated with caring for a family member with Alzheimer's Disease, poor marital quality, academic stress, depression, loneliness, vigor and mood after housing relocation, stress disclosure, and status and lifestyle incongruity Glaser et al 1994;Glaser et al 1991;Kiecolt-Glaser et al 1987a;Kiecolt-Glaser et al 1987b;Lutgendorf et al 1994;Lutgendorf et al 2001;McDade 2002;McDade et al 2000). In addition to these individual-level stressors, neighborhood deprivation has also been correlated with herpesvirus reactivation as indicated by a higher prevalence of herpes genital ulcers among individuals living in more economically deprived urban areas (Monteiro et al 2005).…”