Lost and found : resilience approaches that helped the Vietnamese residents of Biloxi, Mississippi in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

Author

Bao Chau Van, Smith College

Publication Date

2009

Document Type

Masters Thesis

Department

School for Social Work

Keywords

Resilience (Personality trait), Vietnamese Americans-Psychology, Vietnamese Americans-Mississippi-Biloxi, Vietnamese Americans-Family relationships, Vietnamese Americans-Mississippi-Biloxi-Social conditions, Ethnopsychology, Hurricane Katrina, 2005, Disasters-Psychological aspects, Katrina, Vietnamese, Resilience

Abstract

Vietnamese American residents of Biloxi, Mississippi were impacted heavily by Hurricane Katrina; many are still recovering from the losses caused by the storm. Stories in the news media and academia have discussed the strengths and resilience in the Vietnamese communities post Hurricane Katrina. However, no authors discuss in detail the resilience factors that helped the survivors. The purpose of this study is to use post-Hurricane Katrina as an exemplar to understand the experience of the Vietnamese community in Biloxi, Mississippi. The researcher intended to explore the protective factors that survivors use to help rebuild their lives. The study used existing data from the research project that I participated in and examined literature on the experiences of the Vietnamese Americans to assist in identifying the protective factors. Theories of resilience included individual, family and community and are explored to understand the sources of these protective factors. This study found that the resilience theories mentioned in this paper help to understand the resilience experiences of Vietnamese American survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Resilience assessment (LINC) utilizes the mapping process to evaluate the individuals', families' and communities' strengths. This researcher found that focusing on strength capacities builds culture-appropriate and effective intervention when working with the Vietnamese American hurricane survivors.

Language

English

Comments

ii, 29 p. Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2009. Includes bibliographical references (p. 23-26)

Recommended Citation

Van, Bao Chau, "Lost and found : resilience approaches that helped the Vietnamese residents of Biloxi, Mississippi in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina" (2009). Masters Thesis, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
https://scholarworks.smith.edu/theses/1157