Conceptualizations of Psychosocial Needs Among Women Who Resettled to the U.S

Background and Purpose

Research points to the scope, scale, and devastating consequences of violence against women in war and forced displacement (Abrahams et al., 2014). The threat of violence against women, perpetrated by known and unknown persons, escalates during armed conflict and in forced migration (Usta, Farver, & Zein, 2008). Despite robust evidence of the myriad consequences associated with intimate partner violence (IPV), social services in the U.S. may not adequately account for and respond to variations in how women resettling as refugees conceptualize service and support needs. This study sought to develop more nuanced understandings of needs as expressed by women resettling to the U.S. as refugees.

Methods

An established resettlement agency led recruitment efforts for the study using a purposive approach to sampling. Researchers conducted in-depth interviews and focus groups with refugee women who resettled to the U.S. (n = 35) and social service providers (n=53), including those working in refugee resettlement, domestic violence agencies, and community-based organizations. The following research questions guided the analysis: What services and support do women who have experienced IPV need and want pre-and post- resettlement; and how do these findings inform approaches such as culturally competent and survivor-centered practices? The research team employed structural coding and thematic analysis to examine the data.

Findings

The inductive analytical process led to the identification of four inter-related themes: (1) Living with enduring consequences of IPV, (2) “I just want them to help me”, (3) “I need you to talk to my husband”, and (4) “How will I pay the rent?” Participants provided insights into service and support needs primarily by describing the consequences of IPV on women’s health, mental health, and overall wellbeing. Women described difficulties managing stress, worry, depression, forgetfulness, insomnia, nightmares, and heart palpitations, loss of appetite and weight, and intrusive thoughts. Participants described women’s general needs and requests for someone to help them figure out what to do. Women resoundingly requested direct intervention with the abusive partner in attempt to curb abusive behaviors. Participants highlighted the extent to which finances are a universal concern expressed by women resettling to the U.S. and especially by those in abusive relationships.

 

Conclusions and Implications

The study findings point to broader structural concerns shaping women’s resettlement experiences, as well as areas of incongruence between women’s conceptualizations of needs and established practice approaches. Varying degrees of trauma associated with forced migration, in addition to IPV, likely shape how women identify and express their needs. For example, the nuanced expressions of needs that emerged from this study reflect the complexity of women’s experiences at the intersection of forced migration and IPV. Yet they diverge from the construction of client and provider roles in the U.S. social service paradigm, in which clients express defined needs that correspond to existing services, which providers deliver within timeframes established by state and federal governmental funding. Nuanced needs reflect the complexity of lives, profoundly impacted by IPV, among women who fled their countries of origin and ultimately resettled to the U.S. as refugees.