The Psychological Impact of the Boat Experience on Vietnamese Refugees

There is a growing need to study Asians and mental health. One such Asian subgroup that is important to study more thoroughly is Vietnamese people, more specifically, Vietnamese Boat People and the impact that their boat experiences had on their lives. The study sought to understand the boat experiences and its relation to their emotional and psychological well-being, the impact of immigrating to America after leaving Vietnam as well as how well they adapted to the American culture. Additionally, the study explored the strengths of the Vietnamese Boat People and what role these strengths have played as they coped with the stress after the boat experience. The investigator used a phenomenologically-grounded, qualitative research design. A purposeful sample of 16 Vietnamese Boat People from the Midwest and Pacific Southwest were interviewed using qualitative techniques (Creswell, 2007; Moustakas, 1994). Five hundred thirty-five statements were extracted and grouped together, resulting in 16 emergent themes. Participants described symptoms consistent with posttraumatic stress, denial, avoidance and depression. They also discussed struggles in balancing the American culture with their Vietnamese heritage immediately after arriving to the United States. Furthermore, the participants expressed resilience, optimism, and faithful devotion to God in moving past the ordeal and moving forward with their lives