|
DSpace at Indiana University of Pennsylvania >
The School of Graduate Studies and Research >
Electronic Dissertation >
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
http://hdl.handle.net/2069/139
|
| Title: | Autobiographical Narratives of Haitian Adolescents Separated from their Parents by Immigration: Resilience in the Face of Difficulty |
| Authors: | Stewart, Mark R. |
| Issue Date: | 9-Dec-2008 |
| Abstract: | This study examines the self-reported immigration
histories of Haitian adolescents who were separated and
reunited from family due to family immigration from Haiti to
the U.S. From the literature regarding trauma and resilience, it
was the researcher’s expectation that the child’s construing of
the events, rather than any specific events in the history, that
was most influential in assisting the child in good adjustment
during and after the separation, immigration, and reunion.
Twelve Haitian adolescents, 6 male and 6 female, all
aged 18 to 20, were drawn from a community sample at a high
school. They were interviewed using an semi-structured, openended
protocol designed for the study. The interviews were
transcribed and analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis, a specific qualitative analysis
technique. The participants also completed the Youth Self
Report, an instrument designed to measure psychological
problems that is well-validated cross-culturally.
Results of the Youth Self Report and the clinical
impression of the author both indicated that, despite lengthy
separations from parents and other events that could
potentially have been traumatizing, the participants were, as a
group, not suffering from serious psychological problems.
The analysis of the interviews revealed a large number of
common themes among the participants. Most salient were
themes of resilience in difficult circumstances. These included
developing self-agency, seeking out social support, and beliefs
in the power of forbearance and their ability to overcome
difficulty. The salience of these themes tended to support the
importance of the interpretative stance of the adolescent for
good adjustment. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/2069/139 |
| Appears in Collections: | Electronic Dissertation
|
Files in This Item:
| File |
Description |
Size | Format |
|---|
| Mark Stewart Corrected.pdf | | 536Kb | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
|
All items in DSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved.
|
