Well-being in Dinka refugee women of southern Sudan.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to understand the health and well-being of Sudanese refugee women who were resettled with their children to the United States. The design was an interpretive ethnography using individual interviews and participant observation with extensive field notes. The findings describe personal factors as well as community and social conditions that influenced the health and well-being of the refugee women and their families. These influences are captured in the three themes that emerged from the study: (1) liminality--living between two cultures, (2) self-support--standing on our own two legs, and (3) hope for the future. These themes describe a process of how refugee women achieve well-being in the transition to a new country and culture. The study contributes to our theoretical understanding of how to develop culturally congruent interventions for resettled refugees.