Towards an Understanding of Lived Experiences of Vietnamese American Women in the 1.5 Generation in Relation to Psychosocial Stressors and Adaptation: A Phenomenological Study.

The purpose of this dissertation was to collect collect narratives, describe, and interpret the experiences of Vietnamese American women to better understand their experiences of psychosocial stressors and adaptations in their daily living following resettlement in the United States. The study took a phenomenological interpretative approach to expand what is known about this particular group of people, people who were born in Vietnam and came of age in the US, and how they have adapted and made sense of their experiences. Semi-structured interviews were conducted via Zoom in English and Vietnamese with 19 participants who ranged in age from 40-51. Findings include the usefulness of understanding the reasons for immigration that further supported the participants’ will and ability to endure challenges following resettlement. Findings across the 19 interviews show similar themes of survival, acquisition of English proficiency and financial stability as initial primary tasks as well as diversity of perspectives. Various lived experiences and strategies to cope with challenges and opportunities in their everyday lives and lessons learned about their lives and their identities as refugee/immigrant/naturalized citizens and members of the 1.5 generation were shared. Implications for social work practice, education, research and policy are discussed.