Purpose: To describe Congolese refugee women's action responses to difficult living situations. Design: Interpretive qualitative. Methods: Narrative data were collected from 14 Congolese refugee women using minimally structured interviews and were analyzed for patterns in their responses to their difficult situations. Findings: The narratives about participants' difficult circumstances indicated six action responses: refiguration, advocacy, resistance, resignation, sorrow, and faith. Conclusions: When encountering difficult life circumstances, refugee participants demonstrated actions with varying influence on their agency. ©2005 SIGMA THETA TAU INTERNATIONAL.

Refugee women Women's agency Refugee women's health

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