Black men, especially those living in low-income, urban areas, face many societal stressors, including racial discrimination, incarceration and poverty. In addition, these men have poorer health outcomes.
Dr. Michelle Teti, a University of Missouri faculty member who was one of the co-authors of the study, has studied these men’s efforts to negotiate social environments that are not designed to help them attain good health and success.
“Too often, researchers focus on Black men’s weaknesses rather than their strengths,” said Michelle Teti, assistant professor of health sciences in the MU School of Health Professions. “By understanding what’s working, we can reinforce those positive behaviors and help men make healthier choices.”
The study explored resilience — how individuals demonstrate positive mental health regardless of stress and adversity — among low-income Black men living in urban areas. Through interviews, the researchers learned about societal stressors in the men’s lives, including racism, incarceration, unemployment and surviving rough neighborhoods. Despite these hardships, many research participants had found ways to overcome their adversities through five primary forms of resilience: perseverance, commitment to learn from hardships, reflecting and refocusing to address difficulties, creating supportive environments and obtaining support from religion and spirituality.
“It is admirable that these men are resilient in the face of such severe challenges; however, the men’s efforts only can be translated into success if they are supported by social environments and policies that change the odds against them,” Teti said.
Tonight live at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST, we will be speaking with Dr. Teti about this study.
During our live interview, you have the opportunity to call in and share with us and ask questions via Skype. If you would like to do this, please call us at: doctorvibe42. If you get through, please be patient and we will get to your call as soon as possible.
All you need to do listen to the show live is to go The Dr. Vibe and Show Homepage at http://thedrvibeshow.com/ tonight at 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST. You can also provide your comments and questions during the event via Twitter (@drvibeshow#DrVibe) and at our Facebook Fan Page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Vibe-and-Vegas-Show/155099174532923
To read the study, please click on the following link: http://publichealth.drexel.edu/SiteData/docs/BowlegPMM/3038bd375ed4d30d/Bowleg_PMM.pdf
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Dr. Vibe
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