Expressions of resilience in at-risk women

This qualitative study explored facets of resilience in low-income women from two community centers in Louisville, Kentucky. Resilience is understood as a contextual, dynamic concept that is influenced by time and circumstances. The members at the selected community centers were initially identified during a pilot study supported by Metro United Way in Louisville with the goal of preparing at-risk children for kindergarten. Despite exposure to adversity and trauma, the parents were functioning in daily life and involved with their children's lives and their community center. One community center served immigrant and refugee populations, while the other center served a population of majority Caucasian and African American community members. All participants shared experiences of living in poverty in an urban area. The goal of the study was to identify barriers to engagement at community centers, utilize a contextual perspective to measure resilience, and add to the understanding of resilience in women living in urban, impoverished neighborhoods. Individual interviews were completed using three open-ended questions to assess experiences of trauma and factors that contribute to resilience from both the community members' perspectives and from service providers' perspectives. Service providers' ideas about what helps and what hinders community member engagement at the center was also assessed. Thirteen community members and eleven service providers participated in audio recorded individual interviews. Qualitative analysis was completed using grounded theory to determine themes across transcripts. Community member participants at both centers identified that they had experienced trauma. Community members identified themselves as resilient; some similarities and minor differences were identified between members at both centers. Service providers identified community members' chronic exposure to trauma related to the environment of poverty and generally more severe traumas than community members identified. Service providers reported similar themes of resilience at both centers and similar barriers to engagement. Service provider data suggested that the interactional process between one's environment and the individual can support resilience. This seems to be the first study to simultaneously explore resilience in at-risk individuals with the identity of immigrant or refugee and native born individuals. Implications of context and ideas for future study are further discussed.