Victimization and Resilience: Experiences of Rural LGBTQ+ Youth Across Multiple Contexts

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110435
Author(s):  
Traci L. Wike ◽  
Leah M. Bouchard ◽  
Aaron Kemmerer ◽  
Mauricio P. Yabar

LGBTQ+ youth experience higher rates of interpersonal violence, such as peer-based bullying and identity-based harassment, than their counterparts. Experiences of victimization can occur across different social contexts including family, school, peers, and community. LGBTQ+ youth in rural communities may be at increased risk for identity-based victimization due in part to geographic isolation and an often conservative value system that may create a hostile environment to LGBTQ+ individuals. However, few studies have examined the experiences of rural LGBTQ+ youth from their perspectives, and how the rural context may affect their experiences with victimization and social support. This qualitative study explores the victimization experiences of rural LGBTQ+ youth, the supports available to them, and ways they show resilience. We conducted qualitative interviews with a sample of 11 young people ages 12-21, recruited in partnership with a local LGBTQ+ agency across a rural five county region in the Southeastern United States. Four themes emerged related to how rural youth navigate bullying, harassment, and victimization across different social contexts and the support that is available to them: (1) conflicting family messages, (2) navigating personal safety at school, (3) connecting through technology, and (4) confronting negative religious sentiment. A fifth theme captures the strengths of young people in the mid of victimization: (5) demonstrating individual and collective resilience. Although rural LGBTQ+ youth experience victimization in similar ways to urban and suburban youth, rural youth may have less access to social supports that buffer effects of victimization. This study highlights the strengths in rural LGBTQ+ young people as well as their commitment to supporting one another and seeing change in their communities. Findings illustrate a need for greater support for LGBTQ+ youth in rural areas while leveraging existing strength of the youth and their community for sustainable support and resources.

2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 546
Author(s):  
Paulina Rodríguez-Díaz ◽  
Rocío Almuna ◽  
Carla Marchant ◽  
Sally Heinz ◽  
Roxana Lebuy ◽  
...  

Rural livelihoods are under threat, not only from climate change and soil erosion but also because young people in rural areas are increasingly moving to urbanized areas, seeking employment and education opportunities. In the Valparaiso region of Chile, megadrought, soil degradation, and industrialization are driving young people to leave agricultural and livestock activities. In this study, our main objective was to identify the factors influencing young people living in two rural agricultural communities (Valle Hermoso and La Vega). We conducted 90 online surveys of young people aged 13–24 to evaluate their interest in living in the countryside (ILC). We assessed the effect of community satisfaction, connectedness to nature, and social valuation of rural livelihoods on the ILC. The results show that young people were more likely to stay living in the countryside when they felt satisfied and safe in their community, felt a connection with nature, and were surrounded by people who enjoyed the countryside. These results highlight the relevance of promoting place attachment and the feeling of belonging within the rural community. Chilean rural management and local policies need to focus on rural youth and highlight the opportunities that the countryside provides for them.


2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 52-55
Author(s):  
Danka Moravčíková ◽  
Eva Pechočiaková Svitačová ◽  
Anna Mravcová

Abstract The paper presents results of the research project Social and Moral Aspects of Economic and Civic Life of Rural Youth, which was supported by the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic, through the Slovak Youth Institute under the specific scheme Support and Development of Research in the Field of Youth Policy. With the focus on the problems of contemporary life of rural youth, it emphasizes socio-economic and civic-politic dimension of its life. It maps different aspects as well as the influence of particular factors and institutions that affect behaviour and choices of young people in rural areas. The research methodology was based on qualitative approach using observation and personal semi-standardized interview method during the field survey. Interviews were conducted with 106 young people aged 18-30 from 39 rural communities localized in different parts of Slovakia in 2014. Besides introduction to the context, the authors describe methodological framework and the sampling procedure, the key research goals and questions, and basic research findings. They conclude that rural youth needs to be given certain stimulus and support in all possible areas of existence and participation, as well as tolerance and acceptance of their new ideas and thoughts.


2012 ◽  
pp. 187-200
Author(s):  
Kristina Pitula ◽  
Daniel Sinnig ◽  
Thiruvengadam Radhakrishnan

Requirements engineering is an important stage in any software development. It is more so in the case of software development for social development projects in rural areas of the developing countries. ICT4D which stands for “Information and Communication Technologies for Development” is gaining more and more attention as computing is more widely affordable. This article is concerned with requirements engineering in the ICT4D domain. In many developing counties, a significant effort is being put into providing people in rural areas with access to digital content and services by using Information and Communication Technologies. Unfortunately most ICT4D projects pursue a top-down development model which is driven by the technology available and not by the very needs and social problems of the people living in rural communities (Frohlich et al., 2009). Existing technologies are often applied in a non-inclusive manner with respect to the local population, without sufficient adaptation or re-invention, and often without regard for user’s needs and their social contexts.


2003 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Glendinning ◽  
Mark Nuttall ◽  
Leo Hendry ◽  
Marion Kloep ◽  
Sheila Wood

This study looks at young people's accounts of life in communities in rural northern Scotland, and considers in what ways affective and social aspects of community are bound up with well-being, over and above young people's concerns for the future, rural youth transitions, and out-migration. Interviews were held with 15–18 year-olds in four study areas (16 groups, N = 60+) and a parallel survey of 11–16 year-olds was conducted in eight study areas (N = 2400+). Themes to emerge from the interviews included: opportunities locally, the future and staying on, as well as local amenities and services; but older teenagers also spoke at length about their social lives, family and social networks, and their community, both as close-knit and caring and as intrusive and controlling. Rural communities were seen as good places in childhood, but not necessarily for young people. In parallel with that, the survey data paints a picture where feelings of support, control, autonomy, and attachment were all associated with emotional well-being. Importantly, links between emotional well-being and practical, material concerns were outweighed by positive identifications of community as close-knit and caring; and equally, by negative identifications as intrusive and constraining, where the latter was felt more strongly by young women. Certainly, beliefs about future employment and educational opportunities were also linked to well-being, but that was over and above, and independently of, affective and social aspects of community life. Additionally, migration intentions were also bound up with sense of self and well-being, and with feelings about community life; and links between thoughts about leaving and community life as controlling and constraining were, yet again, felt more strongly by young women. Thus, gender was a key dimension affecting young people's feelings about their communities with significant implications for well-being, and out-migration. The study illustrates the importance of understanding the experiences young people have of growing up in rural areas, and how they evaluate those experiences: particularly, how life in rural communities matters for young people's well-being; and especially, for young women.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 736-744 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsey Haynes-Maslow ◽  
Isabel Osborne ◽  
Stephanie Jilcott Pitts

Purpose: To better understand the barriers to implementing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) direct education programming in rural communities, as well as strategies to overcome these barriers. This includes (1) barriers to implementing direct education in rural communities, and (2) facilitators to overcoming direct-education barriers in rural communities. Design: This was a qualitative study that included in-depth interviews. Setting: Fifteen states across all 7 SNAP-Ed regions. Participants: Participants were eligible if they (1) were SNAP-Ed staff who were involved with implementing programs; (2) implemented at least 50% of their programming in rural communities, and (3) worked in their role for at least 12 months. Twenty-seven (n = 27) staff participated in interviews. Measures: Online surveys ascertained if participants were interested in participating in a 60-minute interview about implementing SNAP-Ed in rural communities. Interviews were semistructured and focused on the barriers and facilitators to implementing SNAP-Ed direct-education nutrition programming in rural areas. Analysis: Qualitative interviews were analyzed using content analysis in Atlas.ti. Results: Barriers to implementing direct education in rural communities included lack of healthy food and physical activity infrastructure to reinforce messages taught in class, funding restrictions, transportation for SNAP-Ed staff and the perception that this was also a problem for participants, and SNAP-Ed staff being seen as “outsiders” (not from the community). Facilitators included partnering with other organizations to increase recruitment and retention of SNAP-Ed participants, buy-in from local leaders, and SNAP-Ed staff being from the community. Conclusion: Partnerships between SNAP-Ed programs and non-SNAP-Ed organizations were essential in helping to recruit and retain participants. The SNAP-Ed staff should get buy-in from local leaders before starting direct-education programming. The SNAP-Ed programs should explore innovative delivery modalities including online and text messaging due to transportation issues in widespread rural geographies. Lastly, more work should be done to complement SNAP-Ed direct education with policy, systems, and environmental change initiatives.


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (19) ◽  
pp. 2919-2944 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicky Stanley ◽  
Christine Barter ◽  
Marsha Wood ◽  
Nadia Aghtaie ◽  
Cath Larkins ◽  
...  

New technology has made pornography increasingly accessible to young people, and a growing evidence base has identified a relationship between viewing pornography and violent or abusive behavior in young men. This article reports findings from a large survey of 4,564 young people aged 14 to 17 in five European countries which illuminate the relationship between regular viewing of online pornography, sexual coercion and abuse and the sending and receiving of sexual images and messages, known as “sexting.” In addition to the survey, which was completed in schools, 91 interviews were undertaken with young people who had direct experience of interpersonal violence and abuse in their own relationships. Rates for regularly viewing online pornography were very much higher among boys and most had chosen to watch pornography. Boys’ perpetration of sexual coercion and abuse was significantly associated with regular viewing of online pornography. Viewing online pornography was also associated with a significantly increased probability of having sent sexual images/messages for boys in nearly all countries. In addition, boys who regularly watched online pornography were significantly more likely to hold negative gender attitudes. The qualitative interviews illustrated that, although sexting is normalized and perceived positively by most young people, it has the potential to reproduce sexist features of pornography such as control and humiliation. Sex and relationships education should aim to promote a critical understanding of pornography among young people that recognizes its abusive and gendered values.


2002 ◽  
Vol 8 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 29-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Haythornthwaite

summary Rural Links is a videoconference training initiative developed for those who work with at-risk young people in remote and rural regions of Western Australia. The training programme was run twice (in parallel) for two groups of participants: 17 workers from the Great Southern and South West regions of Western Australia and 15 workers from the Wheatbelt, Pilbara and Kimberley regions of Western Australia. The programme consisted of seven 2 h sessions presented over 12 weeks. Objectives of the training programme centred on increasing participants’ knowledge and confidence in relation to the training topics. The initiative also aimed to enhance consultation between rural youth networks and a metropolitan-based youth mental health service (YouthLink). Analyses indicated that there were improvements in workers’ knowledge and confidence in relation to training topics following participation in the programme. Comparisons of the improvements made by these rural participants, who accessed training via videoconferencing, and metropolitan participants, who accessed training face to face, revealed few significant differences. Rural participants reported high levels of satisfaction, decreased feelings of professional isolation and an increased likelihood of accessing YouthLink for consultative support as a result of completing the Rural Links training programme.


2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 498-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald T. Cochran ◽  
Rafael J. Engel ◽  
Valerie J. Hruschak ◽  
Ralph E. Tarter

Background: Opioid misuse imposes a disproportionately heavy burden on individuals living in rural areas. Community pharmacy has the potential to expand and coordinate with health professionals to identify and intervene with those who misuse opioids. Objective: Rural and urban community pharmacy patients were recruited in this pilot project to describe and compare patterns of opioid misuse. Methods: We administered a health screening survey in 4 community pharmacies among patients filling opioid medications. Univariate statistics were used to assess differences in health characteristics and opioid medication misuse behaviors between rural and urban respondents. Multivariable statistics were used to identify risk factors associated with rural and urban opioid misuse. Results: A total of 333 participants completed the survey. Participants in rural settings had poorer overall health, higher pain levels, lower education, and a higher rate of unemployment compared to patients in urban pharmacies. Rural respondents with illicit drug use (adjustable odds ratio [aOR]: 14.34, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.16-95.38), posttraumatic stress disorder (aOR: 5.44, 95% CI = 1.52-19.50), and ≤high school education (aOR: 6.68, 95% CI = 1.06-42.21) had increased risk for opioid misuse. Conclusions: Community pharmacy represents a promising resource for potential identification of opioid misuse, particularly in rural communities. Continued research must extend these findings and work to establish collaborative services in rural settings.


2003 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret M. Alston ◽  
Jenny Kent

The social and economic effects of globalisation in rural communities is well documented. Ageing populations, loss of services and employment opportunities are typical of rural areas in many western industrialised countries. Focusing on declining access to tertiary education, this paper argues that a lack of adequate policy is creating socially excluded young people in country towns. In particular, drawing on research conducted in the Centre for Rural Social Research at Charles Sturt University, it argues that the financial cost of education is creating a huge barrier for many rural families. If rural areas are to benefit from globalisation, a skilled workforce is critical. Declining rural access to tertiary education exacerbates power differentials resulting from globalisation and therefore restrains access to the opportunities of globalisation and hinders rural revitalisation.


2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (91) ◽  
pp. 57-61
Author(s):  
O. Ya. Hrumak ◽  
M. V. Vovk ◽  
O. V. Kindrat

The article examines the situation on the rural youth labor market and proposes the main directions of overcoming unemployment in rural areas. In particular, it has been established that the financial and economic crisis that has been observed in recent years and military actions in the east of the country have substantially exacerbated this problem. The problem of youth unemployment is the main among economic and social problems of the 21st century, as one of the most important factors in the economic and social development of any country is the socio-cultural and professional development of the youth. In the work the authors use general scientific methods and techniques: formal logic, statistical analysis – to study the state of employment and unemployment in Ukraine; abstract – in the substantiation of theoretical positions and the formulation of conclusions, etc. Particular attention is paid to statistical components, their analysis, also the main reasons of reduction of number of young people employed in agricultural enterprises and the tendencies of self-employment in rural areas are highlighted. The authors assess the impact of current government policy affecting rural youth employment, and make suggestions for its future development. It is proved that the use of advanced innovative technologies, investment and financing of agrarian development programs, entrepreneurial initiatives in agribusiness and vocational education will all make youth in agriculture the driving force that can bring this industry out of a prolonged crisis. It is summed up that the main directions of promoting employment of rural youth are the improvement of the quality of educational services (in particular, state support through budgeting of training in agricultural specialties), information on career opportunities, support of the development of family-owned agribusiness and creative projects, the development of green tourism and the adequate state social protection of young people. Youth is a social capital that requires priority investment, so this subject needs further research.


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