Resilience among urban adolescent mothers living with violence: listening to their stories
Kennedy, A.C.
Violence Against Women 11(12): 1490-1514
2005
ISSN/ISBN: 1077-8012 PMID: 16247113 DOI: 10.1177/1077801205280274Document Number: 257833
Using a risk and resilience approach grounded in a multicultural feminist perspective, this qualitative study explores 10 urban adolescent mothers' experiences with multiple forms of violence, the relationships between violence and school, and their resilience, all within the context of welfare reforms. The findings suggest lives rife with simultaneous, often severe violence, the impacts of witnessing parental violence, linkages between family and partner violence, and cumulative violence exposure as a barrier to positive school outcomes. Several young women emerge as resilient, with five distinct factors conceptualized as contributing to resilience. In conclusion, the implications for welfare policies and programs are discussed.