Refugee mothers' struggles raising children in the United States

• In Event: 2266 - Family Section Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 13. Immigrant Families and Relationships

Abstract

While there are powerful examples of extreme stress put upon refugee families, and how this manifests in contact with social service agencies in host country, there is little systematic attention placed upon how the refugee women themselves view child rearing and parenting. The objectives of this exploratory research are to study refugee women’s narratives concerning their understanding and perceptions of child rearing in the United States, and to provide a forum for women to voice their concerns raising children in a new culture. In this exploratory qualitative research, seventeen refugee women raising children living in Greater Portland region in Maine were interviewed in their homes. Recommendations are provided for service providers working with this population. Professionals have to be cognizant of the hierarchical decision-making and retributive disciplining strategies used by families when disciplining children, and provide these mothers with tools, i.e. explaining, teaching, and rewarding children, for coping with parenting challenges without resorting to punitive discipline methods. Professionals need to focus on not only providing these refugee families with basic needs, but also addressing social and emotional challenges so that they can better integrate in the new communities as they rebuild their lives.

Authors

• Hermeet Kaur Kohli, University of Southern Maine

• Susan Fineran, University of Southern Maine