Pilot Study Examining the Impact of Acculturation on Refugees’ Healthcare Satisfaction

Abstract

In the United States, refugees disproportionately experience poor healthcare satisfaction, in comparison to individuals born or naturalized in the US. The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate how acculturation shapes healthcare satisfaction. Three factors were used to examine acculturation in the study population: support systems (national, ethnic, and/or linguistic), English proficiency, and language preference. The primary researcher employed a qualitative study design by conducting semi-structured interviews with nine refugees who are residents in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. There was a perceived relationship between English proficiency, social support, and healthcare satisfaction. This study’s results suggest that future studies should examine other factors, such as racial and ethnic differences, in diverse refugee populations to further explore healthcare satisfaction in relation to refugee health and acculturation.