Perspectives of Refugees from Ukraine on Culture and Healthcare Experiences During US Resettlement

Abstract

Millions of Ukrainians have been displaced since Russia’s invasion over three years ago. Maintaining cultural identity in refugees can increase resilience, but its influence in the context of healthcare experiences in unclear. Thus, the purpose of this dissertation research was to explore the cultural identity of refugees from Ukraine and how it influences healthcare experiences and nursing care. Two studies were conducted: A pilot focused ethnography with semi-structured interviews, observations/field notes, and public documents/artwork; and an interpretive description study using focus group discussions (FGD). Thematic content analysis was employed for case comparison and themes were inductively derived using a variable-oriented strategy for both studies. Six Ukrainian nurses who lived/worked in the US before the current war were included in the pilot focused ethnography and three themes were: A sanctuary of help, Who am I here?, and Unstable underpinnings. Twelve Ukrainian adult refugees who experienced forced migration after February 22, 2022 were included in the interpretive description study and two themes were: Troubled partnerships and Embedded preventive practices. This research adds to the science with knowledge of Ukrainian refugee cultural identity and healthcare experiences and may help improve refugee-clinician collaboration.