“Helping Somebody Else Has Helped Me Too”: Resilience in Rural Women With Disabilities With Experiences of Interpersonal Violence

Abstract

The concept of resilience, the ability to “bounce back,” from adversity, can inform interpersonal violence interventions and victim assistance services. Unfortunately, though women with disabilities (WWD) experience high rates of all forms of violence and multiple layers of adversity, existing resilience research overlooks this populations’ experiences, perspectives, and resilience strategies. The impairment, socially misperceived as a personal tragedy, precludes individuals with disabilities from being considered resilient; rather, they are designated almost universally as “at risk” or “vulnerable.” This study aims to remedy this gap in understanding and scholarship. This qualitative study engaged 33 rural women with diverse disabilities who experienced violence to learn about how they cultivated resilience to support recovery and growth after experiencing abuse. Women described key personal qualities and supportive networks and services, such as internal drive, connectedness, dedication, healthy and helpful outlets, and an evolution of thoughts and behaviors. Counter to prevailing perceptions of WWD as dependent and helpless, women described how living with a disability honed strengths fundamental to their resilience. Women also described an “altruism born of suffering” wherein their experiences of violence contributed to a desire to give back and help others in difficult circumstances. Women’s insights help to build a more comprehensive understanding of effective strategies and supports to bolster WWD’s resilience. These findings inform interventions and promote approaches to build on women’s strengths and resourcefulness.

Nirvana: A Qualitative Study of Posttraumatic Growth in Adolescents and Young Adults with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

“…Dietary and lifestyle modifications are the most prevalent, although some patients exhibit superego adjustments, often known as altruistic conduct. Some academics feel that altruism stems from pain [ 54 ]. Others believe it stems from increased empathy.…”

“…The inability to study and work leads to troubles for AYAs, which is the main content of future planning. To a certain extent, IBD disrupts the original trajectory of their lives and hinders their reintegration into society [ 54 ]. Considering the coexistence of diseases, some of the original plans had to be revised.…”

Can This Provider Be Trusted? A Review of the Role of Trustworthiness in the Provision of Community-Based Services for Intimate Partner Violence Survivors

“…There is limited research on mental health services' benevolence, but the available literature suggests that providers are unavailable in many survivors' communities, especially those in rural locales (Aguillard et al, 2021;Brabeck & Guzmán, 2008;Simmons et al, 2015;Ting & Panchanadeswaran, 2009;Valdovinos et al, 2021). As with the health providers reviewed above, mental health professionals may revictimize or further harm survivors, as this provider attests: "Victims are skeptical and lack trust in the system, many have had negative experiences with mental health providers in the past" (Simmons et al, 2015, p. 12).…”

“…Based on the limited research available, health and mental health providers may be inaccessible to survivors because of their lack of outreach (Brabeck & Guzmán, 2008;Rodríguez et al, 2009), bilingual staff (Aguillard et al, 2022;Brabeck & Guzmán, 2008;Lipsky et al, 2006;Rodríguez et al, 2009), a sliding fee payment scale for those without insurance (Cheng & Lo, 2015;Simmons et al, 2014;Ta & Hayes, 2010), or a telehealth option (Aguillard et al, 2022). Furthermore, evidence suggests that some health providers are discriminatory toward certain groups, such as survivors who are transgender (Scheer et al, 2020) and poor Haitian immigrants (Latta & Goodman, 2005).…”

“…In contrast, an evidence-based, trauma-informed approach to health care is associated with improved mental health outcomes for survivors (Scheer & Poteat, 2021). In the realm of mental health care, working with a competent, evidence-based therapist or participating in a support group can be very helpful, even life-saving (Aguillard et al, 2022), even though some survivors may encounter providers who lack cultural competence (Latta & Goodman, 2005;Li et al, 2022) or expertise in working with survivors with disabilities (Aguillard et al, 2021).…”