REFUGEE STRESS AND FOLK BELIEF - HMONG SUDDEN DEATHS

Since the first reported death in 1977, scores of seemingly healthy Hm ong refugees have died mysteriously and without warning from what has come to be known as Sudden Unexpected Nocturnal Death Syndrome (SUNDS) . To date medical research has provided no adequate explanation for th ese sudden deaths. This study is an investigation into the changing im pact of traditional beliefs as they manifest during the stress of trau matic relocation. In Stockton, California, 118 Hmong men and women wer e interviewed regarding their awareness of and personal experience wit h a traditional nocturnal spirit encounter. An analysis of this data r eveals that the supranormal attack acts as a trigger for Hmong SUNDS.