Doctoral Dissertation Research: A bioarchaeological study of childhood stress and care practices

Care is a fundamental part of social interactions, but access, levels, and quality of care depend on social conditions. The goal of this study is to assess levels of childhood stress, as well as the frequency and type of care practices experienced and executed by past peoples. Through the analysis of documented dental and traumatic lesions, this study aims to identify and assess evidence of care practices among these peoples. The study reveals the experiences that they were exposed to and the care practices that they performed when faced with traumatic bone lesions. The project provides training opportunities in STEM for a graduate student and informs the public and the community through a series of outreach activities. Using macroscopic analyses of documented linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) as well as bone fractures this research assesses childhood stress and care practices. LEH is evaluated in terms of presence/absence as well as severity. The frequency, healing and misalignment of skeletal trauma are assessed using clinical standards. The study calculates the correlation between these two types of lesions. Results are integrated with historic information to establish if, how, and to what degree these individuals received care. The study informs the nature of social interactions that past individuals experienced and developed. This project is jointly funded by the Biological Anthropology Program, and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.