Center for Public Health Systems, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, 420 Delaware St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
College of Public Health, Kent State University, 800 Hilltop Dr., Kent, OH 44242, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Dec 13;19(24):16714. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192416714.
Conflict-displaced refugees have increased significantly globally. The Democratic Republic of Congo is the leading country with refugees in the United States, where many resettle in Ohio. Women refugees are highly vulnerable, yet little literature has focused on them. Furthermore, maintaining cultural traditions can provide comfort during the tumultuous resettlement process. Therefore, this study used mixed methods to understand the perceptions of Congolese refugee women on maintaining cultural traditions during resettlement in Ohio. Translator-assisted, orally administered demographic survey and face-to-face interviews were conducted among resettled Congolese refugee women ( = 20) 18 and older, who arrived in the United States from 2011 to 2018, and were currently receiving Ohio resettlement agency assistance. Researchers applied descriptive coding and thematic analysis to identify themes and subthemes. Three themes were identified among the resettled Congolese refugee women regarding maintaining cultural traditions in the United States. The three themes comprised (1) clothing and dressing, (2) food, and (3) parenting style. Our work examined resettled refugee Congolese women's perceptions of maintaining their culture after resettling in Ohio. These study findings could assist community engagers with insights and practical recommendations on supportive services for resettled Congolese women and a deeper understanding of complex acculturative situations facing them during resettlement.
全球范围内，冲突导致的流离失所难民数量显著增加。刚果民主共和国是美国接收难民数量最多的国家，许多难民在俄亥俄州重新定居。女性难民极其脆弱，但很少有文献关注到她们。此外，在动荡的重新安置过程中，保持文化传统可以提供安慰。因此，本研究采用混合方法来了解刚果难民女性在俄亥俄州重新安置期间对保持文化传统的看法。研究人员对 2011 年至 2018 年间从刚果民主共和国抵达美国、年龄在 18 岁及以上、目前正在接受俄亥俄州重新安置机构援助的 20 名重新安置的刚果难民女性进行了翻译协助的口头问卷调查和面对面访谈。研究人员应用描述性编码和主题分析来确定主题和子主题。在重新安置的刚果难民女性中，有三个主题涉及在美国保持文化传统。这三个主题包括：（1）穿着和打扮，（2）饮食，（3）育儿方式。我们的工作考察了重新安置在俄亥俄州的刚果难民女性对保持其文化的看法。这些研究结果可以为社区参与人员提供有关为重新安置的刚果女性提供支持服务的见解和实用建议，并深入了解她们在重新安置期间面临的复杂文化适应情况。
