Date of Award

2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Organizational Unit

Graduate School of Social Work

First Advisor

Jennifer Greenfield

Second Advisor

Yolanda Anyon

Third Advisor

Miriam Valdovinos

Fourth Advisor

Lisa Reyes Mason

Keywords

Asthma, Historical trauma, Puerto Rican, Qualitative

Abstract

This study utilized an explorative phenomenological qualitative design to begin understanding the many ways Puerto Ricans experience asthma. Further is sought to understand the asthma experience broadly and within the context of the hurricanes that devastated Puerto Rico in 2017 including the governments’ responses to that devastation. Another core goal of this study was the conceptual and empirical application of the theoretical framework of historical trauma to Puerto Ricans. I conducted 12 semi structured interviews with collaborators who expressed a range of asthma experiences. My collaborators represented a mixture of those who lived through the hurricanes in Puerto Rico and the States. The study was available in English and Spanish with the help of two bi-lingual interviewers I worked with. Analysis revealed diversity in the ways asthma was experienced, how the hurricanes were experienced, and how the governments’ responses were perceived. Almost all of my collaborators expressed concepts of historical trauma throughout their interviews including their perceptions of the governments’ responses to the hurricanes. Some of the most beautiful findings of this study were the ways we came together and bridged the gap between the States and Puerto Rico to survive the hurricanes.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Lisa Colón

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

en

File Size

297 pgs

Discipline

Latin American studies

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