Risk and Protective Factors Associated with Personal Mastery Among Sexual Minority African-American Female Sex Workers

Abstract

Research among sexual minorities has traditionally examined problems such as substance use, HIV risk, mental health problems, and victimization. Among sexual minority street-based female sex workers, these vulnerabilities can be magnified. Grounded in theories of resilience, this study examines risk and protective factors associated with a high level of personal mastery among a vulnerable population of women. Data are drawn from baseline interviews from street-based African American female sex workers enrolled in a randomized intervention trial in Miami, Florida. We compare sexual minority (N=197) and heterosexual (N=365) women on measures of risk and protective factors; among sexual minority women we present logistic regression analyses which reveal that severe mental distress and HIV transmission risk are associated with low levels of personal mastery, while protective factors of transportation access and social support are associated with high levels of personal mastery. These findings suggest that these protective factors may potentially facilitate the development of personal mastery and represent beneficial avenues for intervention efforts.

Is there room for resilience? A scoping review and critique of substance use literature and its utilization of the concept of resilience

“…Resilience is “the ability to maintain relatively stable, healthy levels of psychological and physical functioning”, after exposure to a loss, violence or a life-threatening event (Bonanno, 2004). [ 122 ] Buttram et al, 2014; ( n = 562); US See also Buttram et al , 2014 [ 213 ] • Sex workers Pearlin Mastery Scale – self-mastery as proxy Resilience as measured by personal mastery. Personal mastery (Pearlin & Schooler, 1978) measures the extent to which an individual believes life events or circumstances are under one’s own control.…”

Estratégias metodológicas de investigação da resiliência em lésbicas, gays e bissexuais (LGBs): revisão integrativa de literatura

“…Ressalta-se ainda que alguns estudos analisados nesta revisão mesmo que conceitualmente reconheçam a resiliência como processo, assumiram que ela pode ser medida diretamente, em uma única dimensão, sendo explicada como o próprio resultado adaptativo (e.g., Buttram et al, 2014;Kurtz et al, 2012;Walker & Longmire--Avital, 2013), ou mesmo como efeito "tampão" saliente que pode minimizar os efeitos dos riscos e levar a um melhor estado de saúde (Figueroa & Zocolla, 2015;Peterson et al, 2014). Por exemplo, dois desses estudos utilizaram a Resilience Scale, desenvolvida por Wagnild e Young (1993), para avaliar o nível de adaptação psicossocial positiva nos acontecimentos significativos da vida (Peterson et al, 2014;Walker & Longmire-Avital, 2013).…”

“…Ou seja, como foi observado ao longo dessa revisão, ainda existem certas divergências no conceito de resiliência, que ora é defi nida como processo, resultado da interação entre risco e proteção e tendo a adaptação positiva como o resultado dessa interação. Ora, porém, a resiliência é explicada como o próprio resultado de adaptação (e.g., Buttram et al, 2014), ou ainda como um «tampão» saliente Trends Psychol., Ribeirão Preto, vol. 26, nº 3, p. 1427-1445 -Setembro/2018 que pode amortecer os efeitos dos riscos e levar a um melhor estado de saúde das pessoas LGB (Peterson et al, 2014;Rodríguez & Calle, 2013).…”

Methodological Strategies for Resilience Research in Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals (LGBs): Integrative Review of the Literatur

“…It is also worth noting that some studies analyzed in this review, even though they conceptually recognize resilience as a process, have assumed that it can be measured directly in a single dimension and explained as the adaptive outcome itself (eg, Buttram et al, 2014;Kurtz et al, 2012;Walker & Longmire-Avital, 2013), or even as a salient "buffer" effect that can minimize the effects of risks and lead to better health (Figueroa & Zocolla, 2015;Peterson et al, 2014). For example, two of these studies used the Resilience Scale developed by Wagnild and Young (1993) to assess the level of positive psychosocial adaptation in signifi cant life events (Peterson et al, 2014;Walker & Longmire-Avital, 2013).…”

“…That is, as observed throughout this review, there are still some divergences in the concept of resilience, which is sometimes defi ned as a process, a result of the interaction between risk and protection and obtaining positive adaptation as the result of this interaction. However, resilience is also sometimes explained as the adaptation result itself (e.g., Buttram et al, 2014), or as a salient "buffer" that can cushion the effects of risks and lead to a better state of health for LGB people (Peterson et al, 2014;Rodríguez & Calle, 2013). Thus, these conceptual variations hinder the investigation of resilience and may compromise its operationalization, as well as question its applicability in the intervention and promotion of good health in sexual minorities (Colpitts & Gahagan, 2016).…”