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Through the eyes of a square peg: Unpacking cultural meanings of post-deployment Puerto Rican Veterans and their families through anthropological expertise at the VA

Resende R, Freytes IM, Uphold CR. Through the eyes of a square peg: Unpacking cultural meanings of post-deployment Puerto Rican Veterans and their families through anthropological expertise at the VA. Paper presented at: Society for Applied Anthropology Annual Meeting; 2011 Apr 2; Seattle, WA.




Abstract:

The impact of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)on veterans and families in Puerto Rico is far reaching. Over 3,000 individuals have been deployed from Puerto Rico. Although little is known about OIF/OEF effects in Puerto Rico, it is known that the toll on soldiers and families in mainland U.S. is huge. Readjustment after returning to civilian life may be even more stressful than actual deployment because there is little information or training on what to expect or how to reintegrate into new family and community roles. The objective was to identify how analysis of culture, as an anthropological concept, can contribute to the knowledge base regarding minority veteran family and community reintegration post-deployment, specifically of Puerto Rican, island-based veterans. Qualitative methods were used to collect and analyze data. Face-to-face, in-depth interviews were conducted with sixteen native Puerto Rican participants (8 veterans and 8 non-matched family members). Interviews were conducted in Spanish, recorded, transcribed verbatim in Spanish, and then translated to English. The translated interviews were verified by another Spanish-speaking translator. Multiple codings of the interview transcripts (iterative coding) were used to elicit themes from the Veterans' interviews. These themes were then used as a guidepost for analyzing families' interviews yielding instances of both cultural dissonance and concordance between sets of narratives. By examining the narratives of both Puerto Rican Veterans and family members through an ethnographic perspective, culture and culture clash become lenses through which the challenges of reintegration can be interpreted. Using anthropological concepts, post-deployment stressors and successes can be seen as part of a wider phenomenon that moves beyond individual psychology to encompass social groups. Both veterans and family members expressed concern and frustration over conflicts associated with reintegration. The predominant conflict theme centered on individual needs versus desire for family connectedness. In particular, these themes were expressed in a similar manner as that which describes culture clash. The cultural differences between civilian and military cultures, as well as Puerto Rican and American culture (as Veterans served with mainland American personnel) may have been exacerbated by length of deployment, although there is not sufficient data to ascertain that. Findings can help to de-stigmatize the reintegration process insofar as it places quotidian reintegration challenges in the context of culture clash and not personal pathology or maladjustment. Family members and Veterans who experience this challenge, guided by providers, can understand it as inherent to deployment but also similar to parallel civilian processes. Providers can benefit from the literature on culture shock and culture clash in order to develop appropriate materials and interventions. In particular, providers who serve minority veterans from collectivist cultures can approach these veterans as caught between cultures and develop culturally-relevant services that acknowledge this.





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