Susto is a cultural syndrome associated with fright that impacts Andean farmers. Measures of social wellbeing were utilized to determine possible risk factors for development of susto. Stress was measured to assess the level of social wellbeing of susto sufferers. The cultural consensus model was used to explore the distribution of understandings of susto and Andean social roles in Peru. Highlander's ability to know and enact the cultural model of Andean social roles was investigated as it related to social wellbeing. By analyzing a variety of potential factors associated with susto one can gain insight into Andean culture and social wellbeing.

Highland agriculturalists complain of the cultural syndrome chucaque in the Peruvian Andes. The first aim of this research was to ethnographically document cases of a cultural syndrome utilizing theoretical elements borrowed from cognitive anthropology. Another aim was to use case-control sampling to determine if there was a relationship between higher social stress levels and the development of a cultural syndrome. The research reported here integrated qualitative and quantitative methods. The social stress gauge developed by Rubel et al. () was adapted to the Andean cultural environment and utilized to assess highland social stressors. Chucaque was found to be locally defined as a specific type of head pain commonly associated with the episode of a traumatic event. Chucaque and household social stress levels were found to be significantly related, especially when the ratio of males to females, which often was imbalanced, was included in the analysis.

We conducted research to explore how women in the highlands perceive and identify stress within the cultural context of the Andes. Using cultural domain analysis, consisting of free listing and pile sorting, we demonstrate the shared cultural model of stress among Andean women. The project describes different types of stress that impact women including economic insecurity, lack of access to education, and spousal problems. We demonstrate what this research tells us about how Andean women organize sources of stress. The practical implications of this study involve researchers and practitioners considering social factors present in the lives of Andean highland women. The research can improve discussions about how these issues influence individual social stress levels.

CitationBrooks BB. Using cultural domain analysis to examine andean social roles.