Date of Conferral
2019
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Psychology
Advisor
Jimmy Brown
Abstract
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Hmong refugees immigrated to the United States and have since experienced cultural differences that challenged their traditional way of living. The research problem for this study was Hmong refugees' lived experiences in America because their experience was unknown and unexplored. Addressing this research problem was significant because it provided insight into their experiences and its impact on acculturation as well as distinct cultural experiences not acknowledged or noticeable with monolithic studies. The purpose of this study was to explore Hmong refugees' lived experiences in America using Grove and Torbion's theory of sojourners as the theoretical framework to address research questions, what are the cultural experiences of Hmong refugees living in America? and how have acculturated challenges constructed Hmong refugees lived experiences? A qualitative phenomenological design with semi-structured interviews was employed to explore 8 refugees' lived experiences and coded using Giorgi's 5-step data analysis. Participants reported cultural as well as gender specific experiences that resulted in dissonance, adaptation, loss of ethnic practices, collective to independent lifestyle preferences and its impact on each participant's acculturative approach or cognitive and behavioral adjustments toward American culture. Based on these findings, possible implications for social change include researching ethnic groups separately in order to acknowledge distinct lived experiences related to specific cultural factors as well as healthy and effective methods of integrating immigrants into dominant cultural societies.
Recommended Citation
Lo, Rocky, "Lived Experiences of Hmong Refugees in America" (2019). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 7163.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/7163
