Older female Iraqi refugees in the United States: Voices of struggle and strength

Abstract

A particularly vulnerable subgroup of refugees are older adults. This qualitative study examined experiences of 22 older Iraqi refugee women. Employing the Conservation of Resources framework, stressors experienced and resiliency demonstrated are explored. Narratives emphasized challenges faced prior to and post entry; participants’ expectations and actual experiences of life in the United States; and coping strategies employed. Common themes included expectations shaped by media; loss of homeland, culture, and loved ones; and importance of personal and environmental resources for adaptation. Despite commonalities, variations emerged. Findings highlight the importance of individualized assessment of older refugees and tailored responses to promote acculturation and healthy functioning.

Barriers to education and employment among Arabic speaking refugee and immigrant women

“…Our sample aligns with similar samples reported in reviews and studies from NC, reporting on a newcomer (Walden and Sienkiewicz, 2019) and refugee populations (Michael, 2019; Morillo, 2019) or Arabic Muslim refugees (Namak and Kirk, 2019). Our sample also aligns with the USA studies broadly reporting on the same population (Read, 2004), Iraqi refugee population (Nashwan, 2019; Ross, 2019). In terms of their social situations, more than half of the study participants were dependent on one source of income, whether public, governmental or a family member’s income.…”

“…Seventy per cent of study participants enrolled in English as a second language (ESL) class since moving to the USA. This illustrates their strong desire to learn English even among participants over the age of 50, an encouraging finding because other studies find refugee integration easier for younger aged newcomers due to easier language acquisition (Nashwan, 2019; Shishehgar, 2017). Some participants faced barriers that prevented them from attending more than a single or few ESL classes.…”

Meneroka Cabaran dan Isu dalam Adaptasi Antarabudaya Populasi Orang Pelarian serta Pencari Suaka di Negara Transit dan Penempatan Semula

“…Di samping itu, terdapat beberapa faktor lain yang turut mempengaruhi penguasaan bahasa tuan rumah, seperti usia, latar belakang pendidikan, dan tempoh masa di negara tuan rumah. Pertama, keupayaan untuk menguasai bahasa baharu berkurang atas faktor usia (Asfar et al, 2019;Flug & Hussein, 2019;Nashwan, Cummings & Gagnon, 2019;Pezerović, Babić & Porobić, 2019). Sebagai contoh, Gürsoy dan Ertaşoğlu (2019) dalam kajian mereka mendapati bahawa golongan muda orang pelarian Syria di Turki lebih menunjukkan minat untuk mempelajari bahasa tuan rumah berbanding golongan yang lebih berusia.…”

“…Walau bagaimanapun, tidak semua perpisahan dengan ahli keluarga melibatkan kematian. Terdapat juga perpisahan ahli keluarga yang berlaku kerana proses pendaftaran sebagai orang pelarian dan pencari suaka yang rumit dan memakan masa yang lama (Nashwan, Cummings & Gagnon, 2019).…”

“…Xenofobia dan diskriminasi boleh berlaku dalam bentuk penderaan lisan (Khawaja et al, 2008;Labys, Dreyer & Burns, 2017) dan serangan fizikal (Labys, Dreyer & Burns, 2017). Dalam sebuah kajian yang dijalankan di Amerika Syarikat pada tahun 2019, pelarian wanita yang mengenakan hijab merupakan mangsa utama xenofobia dan diskriminasi (Nashwan, Cummings & Gagnon, 2019). Manakala kajian yang dijalankan di Newcastle, UK pada tahun yang sama pula mendapati bukan sahaja pelarian wanita yang memakai hijab menjadi mangsa xenofobia dan diskriminasi, malah orang pelarian yang berkulit gelap turut menjadi mangsa xenofobia dan diskriminasi (Flug & Hussein, 2019).…”