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A Faith-Driven Protocol on Gratitude, Forgiveness, and Stress for Chin

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A Faith-Driven Protocol on Gratitude, Forgiveness, and Stress for Chin A FAITH-DRIVEN PROTOCOL ON GRATITUDE, FORGIVENESS, AND STRESS FOR CHIN REFUGEES FROM BURMA: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY by Sally Goh Liberty University A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Liberty University February 2017 A FAITH-DRIVEN PROTOCOL ON GRATITUDE, FORGIVENESS, AND STRESS FOR CHIN REFUGEES FROM BURMA: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY by Sally Goh A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA 2017 APPROVED BY: _____________________________ Fernando Garzon, Ph.D., Committee Chair _____________________________ Joy Mwendwa, Ph.D., Committee Member _____________________________ Melvin Pride, Ph.D., Committee Member ii ABSTRACT The influx of immigrants from a diverse cultural and religious tradition into the United States has renewed counselors’ and researchers' interest in how collectivistic populations from a refugee background experience pre-settlement and post-settlement stress in this country. Refugees who have experienced trauma before their settlement are more likely to experience increasing psychiatric pressure from daily stressors such as language barriers, employment difficulties, familial and generational conflicts, and dwindling psychosocial support. However, some refugee populations, such as the Chin people from Burma, have a low-uptake of help-seeking for their psychological problems, leading to more insufficient adjustment to the host culture. Since the Christian faith and the exercise of spiritual disciplines play a critical role in the mental and subjective health of the Chin population, this researcher conducted a workshop to teach a faith- driven approach (also known as GRACE). This exploratory study will describe the development, rationale, and implementation of the protocol. In the outcome analysis using paired sample T- test, participants who practiced the protocol experienced a statistically significant reduction in psychological distress and improved levels of gratitude and motivation to forgive. The researcher also reports on the lessons learned from this ethnic minority study, including the limitations of recruitment, randomization, the assessment procedures, and retention of participants. Keywords: Burma, Chin, grace, refugee, faith-driven, daily stressors iii Dedication This manuscript is dedicated to the memory of my late parents, who left their homeland and made many loving sacrifices for our future. iv Acknowledgments The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with joy. He will calm you in his love. He will rejoice over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17). I want to give all glory and honor to God, who called me into His marvelous light and this abundant life in His Son, my Lord Jesus Christ. First, I am thankful for my best friend and spouse, Yat Por, my three children, and their spouses who loved me and encouraged me throughout the Ph.D. journey. I also want to acknowledge my ever-growing extended family (n=61). To my parents-in-law who loved us sacrificially, and gave us their joyous blessings to go back to school ten thousand miles away from them: To my siblings and my in-laws, my nieces, nephews, and their spouses who loved me: A big thank you to you all. On this Ph.D. journey, I have been extraordinarily blessed by faculty members, course- mates, friends, and homegroup members who challenged and strengthened my sensitivity and love for the people I work with. I am incredibly grateful to my chair, Dr. Garzon, for modeling the life of Christ. Together with my two committee members, Dr. Joy and Dr. Pride, all three spent many tireless hours patiently listening to me, advising me, praying for me, and providing constructive feedback. To Dr. Sosin, Dr. Thomas, Dr. Deacon, and Dr. Hawkins, I want to say your teaching and your life of grace inspire me daily. Also, I want to thank my site supervisor, Dr. Nielsen, for his wisdom and honesty, Maureen Ponce for her patience and unwavering support, Kristen Dang for her hard work reading my manuscript, Dr. Heng Chin for her inputs on my statistical analysis, Pek Bing, Kooi Fong, Dr. Lee Fei, and Dr. Geeta for their many years of friendship. Finally, I extend my utmost respect and gratitude to all the Chin people from Burma, who shared their resiliency and fortitude stories and made this project possible. Thank you, Rev. Pa v Ni Maung, Sayammah Sui, Rosie, and Esther, to help with the translation work and valuable feedback on the protocol. My heartfelt thanks to Azi Pa, Teitu Pa, Cung, and many others who prefer to remain anonymous, for sharing their stories. I am grateful for the many people who loved me, prayed for me, and encouraged me. My Ph.D. journey was undoubtedly a “collaborative project” by many, so I want to thank everyone involved sincerely and may the good Lord rejoice over their lives daily. Shalom. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments........................................................................................................................... v List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ xii List of Figures .............................................................................................................................. xiii List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................... xiv CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 1 Terms in Refugee Studies ........................................................................................................... 1 The Problem ................................................................................................................................ 6 Background of the Problem ........................................................................................................ 7 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................................. 10 Research Questions ................................................................................................................... 11 Limitations/Delimitations ......................................................................................................... 12 Limitations ............................................................................................................................ 13 Significance of the Study .......................................................................................................... 14 Theoretical and Conceptual Framework ................................................................................... 15 Organization of Remaining Chapters........................................................................................ 17 Summary ................................................................................................................................... 18 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ................................................................ 19 Burmese Chin Experience ......................................................................................................... 20 Burma (Myanmar) ................................................................................................................ 20 vii History of Present Conflict ................................................................................................... 24 Pre-Settlement and Settlement Issues ....................................................................................... 25 Pre-Flight .............................................................................................................................. 26 Pre-Settlement Challenges .................................................................................................... 27 Resettlement in the United States ......................................................................................... 29 Mental Health of Refugees ....................................................................................................... 36 Protective Factors.................................................................................................................. 37 Psychological Evaluation ...................................................................................................... 38 Interventions for Trauma .......................................................................................................... 39 Trauma-Focused Approach ................................................................................................... 42 Psychosocial-Focused Approach .......................................................................................... 43 Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) .................................................................................. 43 Narrative Emotion Therapy (NET) ....................................................................................... 46 Religious and Spirituality-Oriented Approach ......................................................................... 48 Historical Background .......................................................................................................... 49 Positive Psychology .............................................................................................................
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