The Cultural Construct of Stress in Luganda-Speaking Women in Uganda

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The Cultural Construct of Stress in Luganda-Speaking Women in Uganda Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2020 The Cultural Construct of Stress in Luganda-Speaking Women in Uganda Courtney Skiera Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Psychology Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University College of Social and Behavioral Sciences This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Courtney Skiera has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Elizabeth Clark, Committee Chairperson, Psychology Faculty Dr. Patti Barrows, Committee Member, Psychology Faculty Dr. Benita Stiles-Smith, University Reviewer, Psychology Faculty Chief Academic Officer and Provost Sue Subocz, Ph.D. Walden University 2020 Abstract The Cultural Construct of Stress in Luganda-Speaking Women in Uganda by Courtney Skiera MA, East Tennessee State University, 2009 BS, King University, 2007 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Psychology Walden University May 2020 Abstract Luganda, the primary language spoken in Uganda has no word for stress, but this does not necessarily preclude the Luganda-speaking population from experiencing stress. There is currently no research that reveals the stress phenomenon from a Ugandan’s perspective. The purpose of this study was to examine how Luganda-speaking Ugandans conceptualize stress. Two theoretical foundations formed the basis of this study: the cognitive appraisal of stress theory and the coordinated management of meaning. Using a qualitative interpretive design, this study examined the conceptualization of stress by Luganda-speaking women in terms of understanding, experiencing, and communicating the stress phenomenon. Participants were 7 native Luganda-speaking Ugandan women who were fluent in English and moved to an English-speaking Western country. They provided stories via video conferencing which became the data that was analyzed using the LUUUUTT model. The main finding surrounding stress conceptualization showed that participants had no cultural construct of stress in Uganda even after cultural immersion in the West. Noting this lack of a stress construct within Uganda may help Luganda-speaking community workers better understand the lived experiences of difficulties from the Luganda-speakers’ perception and could be an aid in creating culturally sensitive and helpful management strategies for promoting mental and emotional well-being in the face of hardship. The Cultural Construct of Stress in Luganda-Speaking Women in Uganda by Courtney Skiera MA, East Tennessee State University, 2009 BS, King University, 2007 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Psychology Walden University May 2020 Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to the incredible Ugandans I am privileged to know. Thank you for your resiliency, your culture, and your generosity. I hope this study honors you as it was intended to. Acknowledgments This has been an incredibly lengthy journey, and I am so thankful for those who have stuck with me through this. First, I’d like to thank Dr. Elizabeth Clark, the only faculty member I could find that was interested in this topic and who continued to remind me that this study was important enough to pursue. Thank you so much for both your patience and your urging; I would not have finished this without you. I’d like to thank my incredible husband who has this dissertation basically memorized at this point: darling, I’ve been working on this degree for our entire marriage, and you have been the biggest encouragement. I love you. For Amelia and Oliver, neither of whom were born when this process started, thanks for inspiring me to finish; I hope one day when you are old enough to know what this means that you’ll be proud of me. I love you two to the moon and back. For my parents who have always supported my endeavors, I am so grateful for you! I would like to thank God just fullstop. And for the Ugandans who agreed to be interviewed for this, I am humbled and honored you would trust me with your stories. Without you, this study would not be a thing. Table of Contents List of Tables .......................................................................................................................v List of Figures .................................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study ....................................................................................1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................1 Background ....................................................................................................................3 Problem Statement .........................................................................................................6 Purpose of the Study ......................................................................................................9 Research Question .........................................................................................................9 Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................10 Coordinated Management of Meaning ................................................................. 11 Cognitive Appraisal of Stress ............................................................................... 11 Nature of the Study ......................................................................................................12 Definitions ....................................................................................................................16 Composite Luganda .............................................................................................. 16 Conceptualizing Stress .......................................................................................... 16 Fluent ................................................................................................................... 16 Stress ................................................................................................................... 17 Stress Experience .................................................................................................. 17 Assumptions .................................................................................................................17 Scope and Delimitations ..............................................................................................18 Limitations ...................................................................................................................19 i Significance ..................................................................................................................21 Summary ......................................................................................................................22 Chapter 2: Literature Review .............................................................................................24 Introduction ..................................................................................................................24 Literature Search Strategy ............................................................................................25 Theoretical Foundation ................................................................................................25 Social Constructionism ......................................................................................... 25 Coordinated Management of Meaning ................................................................. 28 Selye and Universality of Stress ........................................................................... 30 Lazarus’s Cognitive Appraisal of Stress Theory .................................................. 31 Literature Review .........................................................................................................33 Language and Communication ............................................................................. 34 Cognitive Aspects of the Subjective Experience .................................................. 37 Cross-Cultural Studies on Emotions and the Stress Experience ........................... 39 Summary and Conclusions ..........................................................................................42 Chapter 3: Research Method ..............................................................................................44 Introduction ..................................................................................................................44 Research Design and Rationale ...................................................................................44 Role of the Researcher .................................................................................................45 Methodology ................................................................................................................49
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