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A mutual process of healing self and healing the community: A qualitative study of coping with and healing from stress, adversity, and trauma among diverse residents of a midwestern city
Author(s) -
Mueller Daria,
Bacalso Edwin,
OrtegaWilliams Anna,
Pate David J.,
Topitzes James
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/jcop.22530
Subject(s) - intrapersonal communication , stressor , grounded theory , coping (psychology) , psychology , focus group , context (archaeology) , mutual aid , qualitative research , interpersonal communication , social psychology , clinical psychology , sociology , political science , social science , paleontology , anthropology , law , biology
Residents of urban American neighborhoods facing economic hardship often experience individual and collective adversities at high levels. This study explores how racially diverse adults experience stress, adversity, and trauma, and how they cope and heal in the context of their environment. Following a critical realist grounded theory methodology, four focus groups were conducted with African American, White and Latinx participants ( N = 21) within an employment service program. Participants identified key stressors ranging from financial and job challenges, violence, and trauma. To cope with and heal from adversity, they practiced positivity, named trauma and its effects, sought social connection, envisioned community‐based resources, and addressed structural and systemic barriers. The data generated a theory of “a mutual process of healing self and healing the community” through intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural change. The results of this study indicate a need for peer‐led, community‐engaged initiatives and holistic, trauma‐informed, healing‐centered practices.