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Volume 22
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10.3390/ijerph22081208
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Coping Processes of Congolese Refugee Women Newly Resettled in the United States: A Qualitative Exploration

by
Na’Tasha Evans
1,*,
Kamesha Spates
2,
Cedric Mubikayi Kabasele
3 and
Chelsey Kirkland
4
1
Department of Behavioral Science, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
2
Department of Africana Studies, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
3
Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, Kent State University, 800 Hilltop Dr., Kent, OH 44242, USA
4
Center for Public Health Systems, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, 420 Delaware St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22(8), 1208; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22081208
Submission received: 23 May 2025 / Revised: 25 July 2025 / Accepted: 29 July 2025 / Published: 31 July 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reducing Disparities in Health Care Access of Refugees and Migrants)
Versions Notes

Abstract

The present study aimed to provide Congolese refugee women with an opportunity to narrate firsthand experiences coping with resettlement challenges in the United States. Translator-assisted, face-to-face semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with newly resettled Congolese refugee women (n = 20) aged 18 and older who arrived in the United States between 2011 and 2018. All participants were receiving assistance from a resettlement agency, located in the Midwestern US, at the time of the study. Data were analyzed using descriptive coding and thematic analysis. Three overarching themes were developed, indicating that Congolese refugee women adopt three main coping mechanisms to deal with challenges they face after resettling in the United States: (1) use of social support, (2) acceptance of the situation, and (3) spirituality. Resettlement support services, such as those provided by resettlement agencies, mental health providers, and community-based organizations, should integrate both economic and cultural dimensions into their services to address the complex physiological, mental, and emotional impacts of resettlement. These services should prioritize culturally and spiritually sensitive techniques that are linguistically accessible.
Keywords: refugees; Congolese; women; coping; resettlement refugees; Congolese; women; coping; resettlement

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MDPI and ACS Style

Evans, N.; Spates, K.; Mubikayi Kabasele, C.; Kirkland, C. Coping Processes of Congolese Refugee Women Newly Resettled in the United States: A Qualitative Exploration. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22, 1208. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22081208

AMA Style

Evans N, Spates K, Mubikayi Kabasele C, Kirkland C. Coping Processes of Congolese Refugee Women Newly Resettled in the United States: A Qualitative Exploration. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2025; 22(8):1208. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22081208

Chicago/Turabian Style

Evans, Na’Tasha, Kamesha Spates, Cedric Mubikayi Kabasele, and Chelsey Kirkland. 2025. "Coping Processes of Congolese Refugee Women Newly Resettled in the United States: A Qualitative Exploration" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 22, no. 8: 1208. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22081208

APA Style

Evans, N., Spates, K., Mubikayi Kabasele, C., & Kirkland, C. (2025). Coping Processes of Congolese Refugee Women Newly Resettled in the United States: A Qualitative Exploration. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(8), 1208. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22081208

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