Exploring the Meaning of Cigarette Smoking in a Sample of Resettled Bosnian Refugees

Abstract

The current study explored the meaning of cigarette smoking for resettled Bosnian refugees (N = 15) in the Midwest and Northeastern part of the country. The interviews were audiotaped, translated into English, and transcribed. Open coding was used to produce meaningful themes. The major themes across all three phases included the importance of smoking as part of socializing and the characterization of smoking as a habit. The participants' pattern of smoking changed across phases. Of those participants who reported quitting smoking, the majority indicated that they relapsed in social situations. Implications for further assessment and for the development of culturally tailored interventions are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Bosnian
• culture
• health
• posttraumatic stress disorder
• refugees
• tobacco smoking

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors thank the Research Vertical Team at the Clinical Psychology Department at Saint Louis University, for their assistance with interview data analysis, and Patrick McCarthy, Ron Klutho, and the International Institute at Saint Louis, Missouri, for assistance with participant recruitment.

Notes

Originally presented in part at the 22nd annual International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies conference, Hollywood, California.