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FLEEING ONE’S HOMELAND: HEALTH CHALLENGE OF CUBAN REFUGEES FROM THE MARIEL BOATLIFT

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Date Issued:
2020
Abstract/Description:
The decision to flee one’s homeland is a complex event that can have a life-long impact. The diaspora of the Cuban people has occurred throughout the United States since 1959. Their stories can shed light on the health challenge of leaving one’s homeland and can contribute to a body of knowledge that can inform nursing and health care. This study presents the qualitative findings from the stories of 13 participants who arrived in the U.S. from Cuba during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. A story inquiry research design, grounded in the theoretical underpinnings of story theory (Smith & Liehr, 2014), was utilized to explore the dimensions of the health challenge of fleeing one’s homeland, turning points and movement to resolve. Deductive and inductive analysis of the health challenge of fleeing one’s homeland revealed the dimensions of trauma related to the pre-migration, migration, and post migration experience, associated losses, and stigma. The upheaval induced stress in the lives of the participants tested their ability to cope. Managing day-to-day and utilizing internal and external resources, the participants moved to resolve the challenge of fleeing their homeland over time. Many turning points shaped the direction of their experience over decades and contributed to their ability to find meaning by becoming self-sufficient, recreating home, and reconstructing a sense of self-identity. Their unique experiences and stories have provided a voice to empower future studies to expand nursing science, influence empathy and understanding through education, foster awareness in practice, and inspire the potential for policy change for the well-being of refugee populations.
Title: FLEEING ONE’S HOMELAND: HEALTH CHALLENGE OF CUBAN REFUGEES FROM THE MARIEL BOATLIFT.
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Name(s): Rodriguez, Mercedes L., author
Liehr, Patricia, Thesis advisor
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing
Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Created: 2020
Date Issued: 2020
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: online resource
Extent: 173 p.
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: The decision to flee one’s homeland is a complex event that can have a life-long impact. The diaspora of the Cuban people has occurred throughout the United States since 1959. Their stories can shed light on the health challenge of leaving one’s homeland and can contribute to a body of knowledge that can inform nursing and health care. This study presents the qualitative findings from the stories of 13 participants who arrived in the U.S. from Cuba during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. A story inquiry research design, grounded in the theoretical underpinnings of story theory (Smith & Liehr, 2014), was utilized to explore the dimensions of the health challenge of fleeing one’s homeland, turning points and movement to resolve. Deductive and inductive analysis of the health challenge of fleeing one’s homeland revealed the dimensions of trauma related to the pre-migration, migration, and post migration experience, associated losses, and stigma. The upheaval induced stress in the lives of the participants tested their ability to cope. Managing day-to-day and utilizing internal and external resources, the participants moved to resolve the challenge of fleeing their homeland over time. Many turning points shaped the direction of their experience over decades and contributed to their ability to find meaning by becoming self-sufficient, recreating home, and reconstructing a sense of self-identity. Their unique experiences and stories have provided a voice to empower future studies to expand nursing science, influence empathy and understanding through education, foster awareness in practice, and inspire the potential for policy change for the well-being of refugee populations.
Identifier: FA00013546 (IID)
Degree granted: Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020.
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Includes bibliography.
Subject(s): Refugees--Cuban
Mariel Boatlift, 1980
Refugees--Health aspects
Nursing
Caring
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Sublocation: Digital Library
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013546
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.