Abstract
The purpose of this study was to understand the description of health among Iraqi women refugees, their health status, and health experiences during resettlement in the United States. Twelve women, ages 21–67 years old, who resettled in the United States during or after 2003 where interviewed. The women described health as a gift determined by God, the ability to function, the absence of physical symptoms, and the need to feel safe and secure in the context of resettlement. Although the Iraqi women valued health, during the resettlement process, seeking safety and feeling secure were the foremost priorities. Findings revealed that this is a vulnerable population which has experienced the violence of war and, as a result, have unique physical, mental, economic, and social concerns related to health. Implications are for a multidisciplinary approach to best meet the unique individual health needs of this vulnerable population.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Devi S. Meeting the health needs of Iraqi refugees in Jordan. Lancet. 2007;370:1979–80.
Iraqi refugees processing fact sheet. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Retrieved on March 25th, 2014 from http://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/refugees-asylum/refugees/iraqi-refugee-processing-fact-sheet; 2013.
Gibbings S: Women, peace and security 2004. Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women 2004; 16.
Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.rhrc.org.
Refugee law and legal definitions. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.definitions.uslegal.com.
Aday LA. The health and health care needs of vulnerable populations in the United States. In: Anderson RM, editor. At risk in America. California: Jossey-Bass; 2001. p. 1–15.
Murray RB, Zentner JP. Health promotion strategies through the life span. New Jersey: Prentice Hall; 2001.
Pender N, Murdaugh C, Parsons MA. Health promotion in nursing practice. 6th ed. New Jersey: Pearson; 2006.
Dubos R, New Haven CT. Man adapting. Can J Public Health. 1965;50(11):447–57.
Schaefer K, Pond JB. Levine’s conservation model: a framework for nursing practice. Pennsylvania: F A Davis Company; 1991.
Resick LK. The meaning of health among midlife Russian-speaking women. J Nurs Scholarsh. 2008;40(3):248–53.
Aroian KJ, Khatutsky G, Tran TV, Balsam AL. Health and social service utilization among elderly immigrants from the former Soviet Union. J Nurs Scholarsh. 2001;33(3):265–71.
Lindgren T, Lipson J. Finding a way: Afghan women’s experience in community participation. J Transcult Nurs. 2004;15(2):122–30.
Burns N, Grove SK. Understanding nursing research: Building an evidence-based practice. Pennsylvania: Saunders; 2010.
Refugee arrival data. Office of Refugee Resettlement. (2012). Retrieved on March 20, 2014 from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/resource/refugee-arrival-data.
Polit DF, Beck CT. Nursing research: generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice. 8th ed. Pennsylvania: Lippincott; 2007.
Barritt L, Beekman T, Bleeker H, Mulderij K. Analyzing phenomenological descriptions. Phenomenol Pedagogy. 1984;2(1):1–17.
Beck CT. Critiquing qualitative research. Assoc Perioper Regist Nurs. 2009;90(4):543–54.
Le Vasseur JG. The problem of bracketing in phenomenology. Qual Res. 2003;13(3):408–20.
Arnold EC, Boggs KU. Interpersonal relationships. Professional Communication Skill for Nurses. 5th ed. Missouri: Saunders-Elevier; 2007.
Shah SM, Ayash C, Pharaon NF, Gany FM. Arab American immigrants in New York: health care and cancer knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs. J Immigr Minor Health. 2008;10:429–36.
Khawaja NG, White KM, Schweitzer R, Greenslade JH. Difficulties and coping strategies of Sudanese refugees: a qualitative approach. Transcult Psychiatry. 2008;45(3):489–512.
Fazel M. Prevalence of serious mental disorder in 7,000 refugees resettled in western countries: a systemic review. Lancet. 2005;365:1309–14.
Acknowledgments
This study was funded by Epsilon Phi Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing
Conflict of interest
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Salman, K.F., Resick, L.K. The Description of Health Among Iraqi Refugee Women in the United States. J Immigrant Minority Health 17, 1199–1205 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-014-0035-6
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-014-0035-6