Pathways to Resilience III: Beyond Nature vs. Nurture

Abstract #329
Including Youth in the Development of a Community-Based Research Project Examining Everyday Resilience in the Context of Sexual Health and Structural Violence 
Presenter: Eliana Suarez
Abstract: 
Resilience remains a generally underexplored area in the study of violence and health. Specifically in sexual health, the social consequences of HIV, particularly stigma and discrimination, should be addressed with clarity, using comprehensive conceptual frameworks of resilience. This paper reports on the process of including knowledge users in the development of a locally-informed, long-term research project examining HIV/STI prevention priorities as well as the intersections of resilience, HIV stigma, sexual violence, poverty and other indicators of structural violence among key populations of Peruvian youth in two different regions ( Lima and Ayacucho). Cultural differences in beliefs regarding sexuality and sexual health have been extensively noted; therefore the inclusion of two different cultural areas in Peru is essential to examine the unique context of everyday resilience among youth in both sites. Most importantly, resilience strategies may also be different, which indicates the need for distinct health policy and health promotion approaches for youth in these two locations. The contextual specificity and in-depth approach characteristic of community-based research have an important role to play in global health research and resilience studies.