One major effect of displacement by war and subsequently living in a refugee
camp is the disruption of the social, cultural, economic and legal institutions of
communities; this affects parenting and a child's development. Few research studies
address the effects of war, political upheaval, and displacement on parenting, specifically
the experience of motherhood and the cultural socialization process of children. Yet, most
research points at the undeniable connection between social and cognitive competence
and the social and physical context, with changes in these contexts influencing the
competencies parents' inculcate in their children. Furthermore,
there is sparse literature focusing specifically on African refugees' experiences prior to
resettlement in the U.S. Moreover, available data and research often fails to separate
African refugees by country of origin and subsumes their unique backgrounds and
experiences necessitating further inquiry and understanding of this population.
To address these gaps, this phenomenological study utilized the narratives of four
African refugee mothers from Liberia to further our understanding of how displacement
by war affects mothers' beliefs about childhood, and the social and cognitive
competencies they desired and inculcated in their children raised in a refugee camp.
Through narrative inquiry, this study also focused on participants' experiences as women
and mothers during this time of displacement from their respective communities.
","abstract_html":"<p>One major effect of displacement by war and subsequently living in a refugee</p><p>camp is the disruption of the social, cultural, economic and legal institutions of</p><p>communities; this affects parenting and a child's development. Few research studies</p><p>address the effects of war, political upheaval, and displacement on parenting, specifically</p><p>the experience of motherhood and the cultural socialization process of children. Yet, most</p><p>research points at the undeniable connection between social and cognitive competence</p><p>and the social and physical context, with changes in these contexts influencing the</p><p>competencies parents' inculcate in their children. Furthermore,</p><p>there is sparse literature focusing specifically on African refugees' experiences prior to</p><p>resettlement in the U.S. Moreover, available data and research often fails to separate</p><p>African refugees by country of origin and subsumes their unique backgrounds and</p><p>experiences necessitating further inquiry and understanding of this population.</p><p>To address these gaps, this phenomenological study utilized the narratives of four</p><p>African refugee mothers from Liberia to further our understanding of how displacement</p><p>by war affects mothers' beliefs about childhood, and the social and cognitive</p><p>competencies they desired and inculcated in their children raised in a refugee camp.</p><p>Through narrative inquiry, this study also focused on participants' experiences as women</p><p>and mothers during this time of displacement from their respective communities.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Kimondo, Florence Wanjiru"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Child Development","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2013,"date_issued":"2013-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2013-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:55:37Z","subjects":["African","Cultural socialization","Liberian","Motherhood","Refugees","War","Social Work"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/524","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Kimondo, Florence Wanjiru"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2016-03-31T17:12:32Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Child Development"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["African","Cultural socialization","Liberian","Motherhood","Refugees","War","Social Work"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/524"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["One major effect of displacement by war and subsequently living in a refugee
camp is the disruption of the social, cultural, economic and legal institutions of
communities; this affects parenting and a child's development. Few research studies
address the effects of war, political upheaval, and displacement on parenting, specifically
the experience of motherhood and the cultural socialization process of children. Yet, most
research points at the undeniable connection between social and cognitive competence
and the social and physical context, with changes in these contexts influencing the
competencies parents' inculcate in their children. Furthermore,
there is sparse literature focusing specifically on African refugees' experiences prior to
resettlement in the U.S. Moreover, available data and research often fails to separate
African refugees by country of origin and subsumes their unique backgrounds and
experiences necessitating further inquiry and understanding of this population.
To address these gaps, this phenomenological study utilized the narratives of four
African refugee mothers from Liberia to further our understanding of how displacement
by war affects mothers' beliefs about childhood, and the social and cognitive
competencies they desired and inculcated in their children raised in a refugee camp.
Through narrative inquiry, this study also focused on participants' experiences as women
and mothers during this time of displacement from their respective communities.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Liberian Refugee Women's Personal Narratives on the Effects of War on Motherhood"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Kimondo, Florence Wanjiru"],"dc:date.available":["2016-03-31T17:12:32Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["One major effect of displacement by war and subsequently living in a refugee
camp is the disruption of the social, cultural, economic and legal institutions of
communities; this affects parenting and a child's development. Few research studies
address the effects of war, political upheaval, and displacement on parenting, specifically
the experience of motherhood and the cultural socialization process of children. Yet, most
research points at the undeniable connection between social and cognitive competence
and the social and physical context, with changes in these contexts influencing the
competencies parents' inculcate in their children. Furthermore,
there is sparse literature focusing specifically on African refugees' experiences prior to
resettlement in the U.S. Moreover, available data and research often fails to separate
African refugees by country of origin and subsumes their unique backgrounds and
experiences necessitating further inquiry and understanding of this population.
To address these gaps, this phenomenological study utilized the narratives of four
African refugee mothers from Liberia to further our understanding of how displacement
by war affects mothers' beliefs about childhood, and the social and cognitive
competencies they desired and inculcated in their children raised in a refugee camp.
Through narrative inquiry, this study also focused on participants' experiences as women
and mothers during this time of displacement from their respective communities.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/524"],"dc:subject":["African","Cultural socialization","Liberian","Motherhood","Refugees","War","Social Work"],"dc:title":["Liberian Refugee Women's Personal Narratives on the Effects of War on Motherhood"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Child Development"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:55:37Z"}