142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Identifying resiliency among young, Black gay men: Analyzing digital story narratives

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 : 11:00 AM - 11:15 AM

Alida Bouris, PhD, MSW , School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Brandon Hill, PhD , Center for Interdisciplinary Inquiry and Innovation in Sexual and Reproductive Health, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Ragnar Anderson, MPH , Center for Interdisciplinary Inquiry and Innovation in Sexual and Reproductive Health (Ci3), University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Stephen Heathcock, BA , The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Melissa Gilliam, MD, MPH , Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Center for Interdisciplinary Inquiry and Innovation in Sexual and Reproductive Health, The University of Chicago, Chicago
Background: Homophobia, stigma, and discrimination are key social determinants of gay men’s health. Young, Black gay men (YBGM) also encounter racial discrimination, which may further harm their health and well-being. Emerging methodologies, such as digital storytelling, offer a new lens to examine nuanced experiences of adversity and resiliency.

Objective: To examine risk and resilience in the lives of YBGM who participated in a digital storytelling project examining how social inequality and relationships affect health.

Methods: YBGM aged 15-24 participated in a three-day digital storytelling workshop. Each participant created, edited, and finalized his own digital story. Youth provided assent or consent and parents provided permission for minors. Using Minority Stress Theory (MST), narrative analysis was conducted by three independent coders to identify salient themes across nine digital stories.

Results: Consistent with MST, stories elucidated several salient themes in risk and resilience, including: sexual identity development; coming out; bullying; and physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. Sources of resilience were identified in young men's romantic, family, and community relationships, as well as their ability to internally cope with and recover from discriminatory experiences.

Discussion: Digital stories offer a nuanced look into the lived experiences of YBGM. Young men’s stories revealed common themes across identity development and disclosure, as well as bullying and abuse. Stories also highlighted the resiliency young men harness to cope with such adversity. Future work should explore how to use digital stories to discuss minority stressors on a deeper level and how supportive relationships in the lives of YBGM can be harnessed to offset risk.

Learning Areas:

Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe the use of digital storytelling as a form of data collection for examining the social determinants of health among young, Black gay men. Discuss the ways in which resiliency is heralded in stories of sexual identity development and expression.

Keyword(s): African American, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT)

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the principal investigator (PI), co-PI or co-Investigator of several studies examining the social determinants of health among sexual and gender minority youth of color. I am Co-PI of the digital storytelling project, South Side Stories, on which the abstract is based. My overall research is focused on the role of parents and families in preventing HIV and promoting mental health among young Latino and Black gay and bisexual males and transgender females.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4147.0: Resiliency among LGBT people