Communal Agency Across the Life Course
An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Resettlement Stress Among Refugees From Burma in the United States
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24020719 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Katherine Kitchens (0000-0001-7295-7838, Southwestern Medical Center), Alexander Bervik (0009-0002-4491-7665, Flinders University), Diane B Mitschke (0000-0003-0281-7738, The University of Texas at Arlington) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 10497323261467306-10497323261467306 |
| Publication date | 2026-08-04 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Qualitative Health Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1049-7323 • E-ISSN: 1552-7557 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/10497323261467306 |
| PMID | 42552113 |
| OpenAlex | W7172434128 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 32 |
Resettled refugees experience chronic stress as they navigate adaptation across the life course, often within communal frameworks that emphasize collective responsibility, interdependence, and shared identity. This study examines how refugees from communally oriented cultures make meaning of resettlement stress, drawing on interpretative phenomenological analysis to analyze the narratives of 13 participants, representing different adult life course stages, from five ethnic groups forcibly displaced from Burma and resettled in the United States. Findings highlight the centrality of communal processes in structuring adaptation, as participants described resettlement stress, not as an individual burden but as a collective experience negotiated through intergenerational role shifts, communal support networks, and shared responsibilities. Younger adults assumed roles as cultural brokers, navigating institutions on behalf of their families, while older adults relied on communal ties to sustain well-being in resettlement. Participants’ experiences underscore how adaptation unfolds within collective, rather than solely individual, trajectories, reinforcing the need for culturally congruent mental health and social support interventions. These findings extend life course theory by demonstrating how communal resilience operates across historical time and place, shaping intergenerational strategies for adaptation. Implications emphasize group-based mental health interventions that align with communal coping strategies, investment in youth leadership programs to support cultural brokers, and community-engaged translational research to co-develop sustainable, capacity-building initiatives that empower resettled communities. By centering communal adaptation and agency, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of how resettled refugees sustain resilience and well-being beyond individual frameworks.
Agency (philosophy) · Centrality · Coping (psychology) · Ethnic group · Global mental health · Interpretative phenomenological analysis · Mental health · Narrative · Psychological resilience · Refugee · Asian Geopolitics and Ethnography · Migration, Health and Trauma · Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
Essentials of interpretative phenomenological analysis.
Exercise of Human Agency Through Collective Efficacy
Collective Trauma and the Social Construction of Meaning
Evaluating the contribution of interpretative phenomenological analysis
Post-migration factors and mental health outcomes in asylum-seeking and refugee populations
The mental health of civilians displaced by armed conflict
A conceptual framework on pre- and post-displacement stressors
Group-Based Intervention Models in Treating Refugee Mental Health in High-Income Countries
Communalism
The Resettlement Journey
Does Duration of Residency in the United States Influence Psychological Symptoms and Postmigration Stressors Among Refugees? Potential Implications of Populism for Refugee Mental Health
Older refugees and internally displaced people in African countries
Refugee and Immigrant Youth Leaders
We still keep our culture to stay alive”
Achieving excellence in interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA)
Collective Familial Decision-Making In Times Of Trouble
Unsettled integration
The Life Course as Developmental Theory
Stressors faced by forcibly displaced Ukrainians in England within 6 months of arrival
We are all under the same roof
Forced migrants and secure belonging
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |