Sudden Unexpected Nocturnal Death Syndrome among Hmong Immigrants.
Author(s):
Adler, Shelley R.
Format:
Journal article
Citation:
Journal Of American Folklore, Volume 104, Issue 411 (1991). pp. 54.
Language:
English
Abstract:
The high rate of Sudden Unexpected Nocturnal Death Syndrome (SUNDS) among Hmong immigrants to the United States is tied to a culturally universal sleep-onset nightmare experience characterized by the feeling of being suffocated by the pressure of an alien incubus. Apparently the stress of dislocation combined with the falling away of traditional support and healing mechanisms make Hmong males peculiarly vulnerable to the nightmares and their accompanying psychosomatic trauma.