4.26.- MASA DE AGUA SUBTERRÁNEA 042 SIERRAS MARGINALES CATALANAS

differed as a supportive or challenging factor in the participant's adjustment. Data from the interviews showed that four participants found the presence of their dependents supported their adjustment and nine participants felt the presence of their dependents were barriers in their adjustment process. Dependents were relatives of the participants, and they varied in the amount of time they spent with the participant. Some participants had more than one dependent; 11 of the participants had husbands, nine had children, three had brothers, one had a sister, and two participants had their mothers as dependents. Only seven dependents lived continuously with the participants during their time in the U.S.

Nermin's (participant 9) brother accompanied her during her first few months in the U.S. Although she said he wasn't helpful to her adjustment process, his presence was essential to her mother. Her mother was worried that on her own, Nermin would face challenges that she couldn't handle in her new environment. However, Nermin's brother had a difficult time adjusting to his new surrounding "after my brother left, I felt better because I didn't have to worry about him anymore." Areen (participant 3) also felt the same, after her mother and brother left she felt relieved, "although my mother helped me a lot in my adjustment, I convinced her to go back home, I was always worried about her safety and health. It was additional pressure for me."

Despite the reported findings in the literature indicating the presence of children as an additional responsibility and a challenge for mothers that were also students, the study reported

an interesting finding that contradicts the literature. Nine participants indicated that the presence of their children was a positive factor in their adjustment. The mothers said they felt resilient because of their children presence and because of their children they had the motivation to overcome challenges. Hind (participant 6) faced many challenges during her time in the U.S. and said she faced so many challenges since she arrived at the U.S. that she thought about stopping her academic work. However, her desire to overcome barriers and continue her pursuit of a doctoral degree came with the birth of her daughter, "having my daughter helped me change. It made me stronger. I wanted to be her role model. I don't want her to break or feel devastated if she faces a challenging situation. I want her to stand up for herself."

Nermin (participant 9) explained the reason behind the strength of women with children, "women with families adjust better than single women. Mothers understand their responsibility to do what is needed for the sake of their family. Hesitation is not an option." Kinzy (participant 12) explained how her husband's absence helped her become a better mother and motivated her to focus on achieving her goal, "My husband and I endured so many challenges to reach our goal to graduate with high degrees. Although we live in different cities and I take care of the kids on my own, I organize my whole day to make sure every minute is used wisely."

The presence of a close and caring family environment was reported by Sahar (participant 7) as a supportive factor. After she started her classes, Sahar pulled back from socializing with members of the host society to spend time with her children. As a result, Sahar observed that living abroad had brought her family closer, "although I don't have time to socialize like I want to, I don't feel I need to. I have my close family far away from any social distractions. Living abroad had allowed U.S. to connect more because we spend more time with each other. "

Ten participants were married when they arrived at the U.S. Three of the married

participants observed that their husbands adopted roles different than the prescribed home culture gender role. The participants reported that their husbands acknowledged the amount of pressure their spouses had as the reason behind their husbands' lesser adherence to the traditional gender roles. For these participants, their husbands were a supportive factor because they shared household responsibilities. The notion to not follow the prescribed gender role relieved the participants of the stress related to cultural norms and expectations.

The experience was different for seven married participants. Cultural expectations related to prescribed home culture gender roles resulted in a daily busy and full schedule for the

participants. Other reported experiences revealed different challenges associated with the

presence of husbands as dependents. Hind (participant 6) identified her husband's indifference to her difficult experiences a barrier to her adjustment. Hind talked about her husband's response when she reached out asking for his support, "he told me that I was exaggerating and that he was also an international student and he never had problems. I felt alone and misunderstood. I felt that my enthusiasm and excitement to study was gone." Dana (participant 1) felt that her husband's lack of previous travel experience challenged his adjustment and she worried about him, "I wanted him to feel comfortable. I was doing really well with my classes, but he seemed to be struggling with learning the language and living in a foreign environment."

In summary, the majority of participants indicated their dependents’ presence as a supportive factor. Participants that reported their dependents as barriers noted their challenges associated with adhering to home culture norms. Interestingly, results related to children of the participants do not support previous related research. In contrast with what the literature in chapter 3 reported, the study revealed the presence of children as a supportive factor. This

section presented the three-main supportive and challenging factors reported by the participants to affect their adjustment experience. The following section reported results related to the strategies used during the participant's adjustment experience.

Research Question 2

What strategies were most successful in helping Saudi women adjust to studying in the United States?

The interviews confirmed two strategies used most often by the participants to help with their adjustment experience. The two strategies identified from the data analysis were: (1) reaching out for support and (2) effectively seeking to create social relationships.