Moving Beyond Traditional Models

Women’s post-migration experiences are often described in terms of adjustment, integration, or adaptation. Yet these terms can oversimplify the complexity of what happens during acculturation.

These realities shape how women experience belonging, identity, and safety in their new environments. However, traditional acculturation models do not always fully capture these experiences. This article draws on do

ctoral research and the findings have international relevance and implications for clinical and community settings globally.

Acculturation Beyond Cultural Adjustment

In this research, participants’ experiences were organised into themes based on their acculturation processes and intimate relationships. This approach highlighted shared patterns in how participants navigated post-migration life. These shared approaches were often shaped by pre-migration cultural backgrounds, with participants from similar backgrounds describing comparable acculturation strategies.

At the same time, their post-migration experiences introduced new challenges and complexities. Participants described navigating unfamiliar social expectations, changes in gender roles, experiences of racism and discrimination, and shifts in family and relationship dynamics. These experiences shaped how participants made sense of their new environment and influenced their pathways of acculturation.

The analysis was informed by Berry’s (1997) acculturation framework and Bornstein’s (2017) specificity principle. Berry’s framework provided a foundation for understanding different patterns of cultural adaptation, while Bornstein’s specificity principle highlighted how acculturation is shaped by contextual factors, including individual experiences, social environments, and relational dynamics.

Together, these frameworks helped explain why participants’ acculturation experiences varied, even among individuals from similar cultural backgrounds. However, the findings also suggested that additional factors were shaping participants’ experiences in ways not fully captured by existing models.

The Role of Trauma, Loss, and Racism in Post-Migration Experiences

Participants described experiences of loss, trauma, racism, discrimination, and gender-based violence (GBV) as central to their post-migration lives. These experiences influenced not only their emotional wellbeing, but also their sense of identity, safety, and belonging.

For some participants, migration created opportunities for greater autonomy and safety. For others, migration introduced new forms of vulnerability, including social isolation, discrimination, and cultural dissonance. These experiences often occurred simultaneously, shaping complex and evolving acculturation processes.

Participants’ narratives highlighted how acculturation was shaped by the interaction between pre-migration cultural norms and post-migration experiences. Factors such as bicultural integration, cultural dissonance, gender expectations, racism, and trauma all influenced participants’ meaning-making and adaptation processes.

These findings suggest that acculturation is not a linear process, but rather a dynamic and context-dependent experience shaped by both personal and societal factors.

Transformative Acculturation: A Trauma-Informed Perspective

To capture these experiences, the concept of Transformative Acculturation was developed. Transformative Acculturation (TA) describes how refugee women exposed to gender-based violence and trauma navigate acculturation in ways that prioritise safety, autonomy, and identity transformation.

Transformative Acculturation extends Berry’s (1997) acculturation framework and Bornstein’s (2017) specificity principle by placing trauma, safety, and personal transformation at the centre of the acculturation process. Rather than viewing acculturation solely as cultural adaptation, TA recognises that some women are navigating profound personal and relational changes alongside cultural transition.

Participants’ narratives illustrated how acculturation strategies varied depending on pre-migration cultural background, personal experiences, and post-migration contexts. These strategies were shaped by gendered norms, experiences of racism and discrimination, intimate relationships, and the psychological impact of trauma.

This perspective provides a more nuanced understanding of refugee women’s post-migration experiences and highlights the importance of trauma-informed and culturally responsive approaches.

Comparative Acculturation Strategies Across Cultural Contexts

Figure 2 provides an overview of how pre-migration cultures and post-migration experiences shaped participants’ acculturation processes. The diagram is organised according to pre-migration cultural backgrounds and illustrates patterns and themes that emerged across participants’ narratives.

The diagram aligns, where appropriate, with Berry’s acculturation framework (1997) and Bornstein’s specificity principle (2017), while also introducing Transformative Acculturation as a novel, trauma-informed concept. It highlights how bicultural integration, cultural dissonance, and trauma stemming from gender-based violence shaped participants’ meaning-making and acculturation processes.

Each box in the diagram represents a distinct acculturation strategy informed by personal experiences and contextual factors. The solid lines illustrate how external factors, including gender, racism, and discrimination, influenced participants’ acculturation pathways.

Figure 2Comparative Acculturation Strategies Across Ethnic Groups: Contextual, Cultural and Post-Migration Experiences

Note. This diagram illustrates the acculturation strategies adopted by the participants and is organised according to their pre-migration cultural backgrounds. The grouping reflects how participants made sense of their post-migration experiences and highlights how cultural norms and pre-migration experiences can shape acculturation strategies. The diagram also includes Berry’s acculturation framework (1997), Bornstein’s specificity principle (2017), and Transformative Acculturation. The solid lines in the diagram indicate how external factors, such as gender and discrimination, shape acculturation.

Global Implications for Practice and Research

Although this research was conducted in Switzerland, the findings have broader international relevance. Women across different countries encounter similar challenges, including trauma, loss, racism, and shifts in family and relationship dynamics. These experiences influence how women adapt, integrate, and rebuild their lives after migration.

Understanding these processes is important for clinicians, community organisations, and policymakers working with refugee and migrant populations. Trauma-informed and culturally responsive approaches are essential for supporting women navigating complex post-migration experiences.

These findings also inform contemporary clinical practice, including work with culturally diverse populations in Australia.

Acculturation is not simply about cultural adjustment. For many refugee women, it involves navigating trauma, loss, discrimination, and profound personal change. Transformative Acculturation provides a framework for understanding these experiences and offers a more nuanced perspective on post-migration adaptation.

By integrating cultural, psychological, and contextual factors, this approach contributes to a deeper understanding of refugee women’s post-migration lives and highlights the importance of trauma-informed, culturally responsive practice across global context