Table 1.

An introduction to the women participants.

Ler Saw is a Karen woman in her late fifties. She and her husband married in their community of origin when she was eighteen years old. They began having children in Burma, and when the situation became dangerous, fled to a refugee camp in Thailand. The family lived there for the next twenty years. Ler Saw has six living children. Three and a half years ago, Ler Saw and her husband came to the US. Ler Saw discussed multiple long-term health effects, is permanently disabled and unable to work. She experiences debilitating pain, chronic gastrointestinal issues, and depression. She stated that she doesn’t feel healthy. She discussed triggers of memories of the past, feelings of fear that come as a result, and the way and her whole body shakes. Ler Saw stated that she feels much safer in the US, though it’s still hard to forget.

Paw Htoo is a Karen woman in her sixties. She spent more than twenty years living in three different camps in Thailand. There she experienced multiple illnesses and an injury that left her with burning pain in her arm, hand and back. Sometimes she gets overwhelmingly dizzy. Paw Htoo was never able to attend school because her family frequently relocated to remain safe in Burma. She has four children and came to the US four years ago.

Naw Si is a Karen woman in her mid-forties. She and her family have lived in the US for seven years. She and her husband both work to support their five children. Naw Si discussed health issues she experiences including fevers and a burning leg pain.

Bway Paw is a Karen woman in her mid-forties. She and her husband have been married for almost thirty years and have six children. Their family lived in a refugee camp for ten years, and came to the US two and a half years ago. Bway Paw is not able to work because of health problems she experiences, including pain and difficulty with her vision. She discussed ways her physical health impacts her ability to parent effectively. Bway Paw did not attend school. The literacy and English language proficiency her children now have support the family in navigating some of the complexities of life post-resettlement.

Leh Mu is a Karen woman in her late forties. She and her family have lived in the US for eight years. Prior to this, the family lived in a refugee camp for eight years. Leh Mu and her husband have been married for twenty-seven years. They have four older children who live at home. Leh Mu works full-time at a food processing facility.

Bleh Htoo is a Karen woman in her mid-thirties. She has lived in the US for a year; before that, she lived in a refugee camp in Thailand for eight years. She was married and had her first child when she was seventeen. She now has eight children. She was never able to attend school. In the US she works part time as a home healthcare aide.

Eh Hsar is a forty-year-old Karen woman. She has been married for twenty years. Eh Hsar, her husband and their four children lived in a refugee camp for eight years before they resettled to the US ten years ago. Eh Hsar discussed her difficult experiences in the past, and resulting thinking too much and problems with my heart. She indicated that she has been referred to a therapist, but prefers not to meet with anyone. Eh Hsar works as a patient care assistant (PCA) for a family member.

Gay Lah is a Karen woman in her late forties. She lives with her husband of twenty-seven years and three sons. They resettled to the US eight years ago, and before that lived in a refugee camp in Thailand for almost twenty years. Gay Lah was never able to attend school, she generates income for her family as a weaver.

Mu Aye is a Karen woman in her late forties. She was married when she was seventeen, and now has eight children. Mu Aye lived in a refugee camp with her husband and children for more than twenty years. They have lived in the US for four years. Mu Aye experiences severe depression and other health problems, and reported that she is permanently disabled and unable to work. She has pain, headaches and trouble sleeping. Mu Aye shared detailed experiences from the war that she and her husband survived. She reflected on her children’s experiences as they fled from the Burmese Army.

Thaw Day is a Karen woman in her mid-fifties. She lived in a refugee camp for more than twenty years, and came to the US four years ago. She has been married for twenty-six years, and has six children who all live with her. Thaw Day was able to attend some school as a child, but this was interrupted because her family had to continually relocate to safer areas in Burma. She works in a bakery.

Mui Paw is a Karen woman in her late thirties. She and her family lived in a refugee camp for ten years, and have now lived in the US for eleven years. She has four children and has been married for nineteen years. Mui Paw is not able to work because of a disability. She experiences chronic generalized pain. She states that she is currently seeing a health provider to help her with difficult memories from her experiences in the past.

All names are pseudonyms. Demographic information has been altered to preserve anonymity.