Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Health Services

Advisor

Mary Bold

Abstract

United States military wives typically relocate every few years with their active-duty husbands. But little is known about the acculturative stress and stressors associated with relocating and reestablishing a military home in an Arctic environment. This qualitative research focused on African American women who were also military wives and the acculturative stress they encountered in relocating to an Arctic environment. Face to face interviews provided a platform for 10 military wives to share their personal experiences. The acculturative stress that African American military wives’ acculturative stress and stressors encountered in relocating from a non-Arctic to an Arctic environment are not readily known for establishing social services and other coping resources. Segmented assimilation theory revealed the acculturative challenges the women encountered with these four emerging themes: (1) environment, (2) community resources and services, (3) relocation stressors, and (4) social relationships. Positive coping strategies traditionally employed by African Americans were used to manage feelings of marginalization for integrating the Indigenous community. This study has implications for positive social change because the findings could improve the community and military support groups’ awareness of Arctic acculturative stress on African American military wives. By using cultural coping strategies and cultivating new sociocultural relationships, the African American military wife can sustain her quality of life in support of military operations.

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