Understanding Food Insecurity Resilience of Refugee Families in the United States

Objectives

This research investigated the experience of household food insecurity among Syrian refugees resettled in the US using the lens of family resilience. The objectives were to understand how refugee families create resilience to food insecurity in the US, how they construct the meaning of food insecurity as a source of stress in comparison to other stressors, and what are the family's capabilities that have played a role in their efforts to reduce food insecurity.

Methods

This qualitative case study was conducted with 9 Syrian refugee families who lived in the Washington metropolitan area for 8 years or less. An Arabic semi-structured interview guide was developed. A maximum of three separate interviews were conducted in each family, one with each of two adults (usually parents) and one with the child. Demographics, information about their network of family and friends in the US, and the Arab Family Food Security Scale were collected. Arabic data from 17 in-depth interviews were analyzed using the family adaptation and adjustment response model.

Results

All 9 families were using food assistance programs (SNAP and/or WIC), and 3 of them were food insecure at the time of the interviews. Although experiences of food insecurity varied between families and over time, most families reported greater food insecurity immediately after arriving in the US with food security improving as additional resources (e.g., SNAP) were accessed. However, being food insecure was not perceived as a stressor to most families because they had lived a difficult life in the country from which they escaped. Their major stressors were fear of losing their jobs and of being unable to pay their bills and rent. Each family had a unique capability, with their own combination of resources and strategies, for maintaining household income and food availability, but social networks consistently played an important role in families’ efforts to reduce food insecurity.

Conclusions

Food insecurity was not perceived as a major stressor because families experienced a broad range of insecurities including finances, housing, and employment. The social network was one of the most important resources that supported families’ capabilities to improve their food status.

Funding Sources

The research is partially funded by a University of South Carolina doctoral research award.