This article describes a study of resilience among young men who have sex with men (YMSM). Resilience is defined as positive adaptation in the context of hardship. Using targeted sampling to capture the diversity and range of this hidden population, we recruited 569 YMSM ages 17-28 years old and examined a subset of 134 YMSM who had experienced severe childhood adversity, as indicated by placement in foster care. Most of the YMSM in this subset were from racial or ethnic minority backgrounds and fewer than half identified as gay or homosexual (46.3 percent). More than half (58.3 percent) exhibited positive outcomes on four of seven indicators of adaptive functioning. YMSM who identified as either bisexual or heterosexual exhibited lower rates of resilience. Structural-as well as individual-level factors appear to be implicated in resilience among YMSM. Findings underscore the importance of fostering stable sexual identity as a means of building resilience.Keywords sexual identity; homosexual; bisexual; transgender; adaptation; foster careCorrespondence to: Steve Lankenau. & Stueve, 2002;Thiede et al., 2003;Valleroy et al., 2000). Among YMSM, those who do not identify as gay or homosexual and those who consider themselves transgender appear to be at greatest jeopardy for adverse outcomes (Agronick et al., 2004;Cooper, 1999;Hughes & Eliason, 2002). Overall, YMSM are a hidden and hard-to-reach population, mainly because of stigma and often because of their involvement in illegal activities (MacKellar, Valleroy, Karon, Lemp, & Janssen, 1996;Muhib et al., 2001). In particular, YMSM who are involved in the street economy, have substance abuse problems, are from low socioeconomic status backgrounds, do not identify as gay, are younger, and/or are from racial/ethnic minority backgrounds may be more difficult to access for treatment and research than their peers (Barendregt, van der Poel, & van de Mheen, 2005;Muhib et al., 2001;Van Ness, Davis, & Johnson, 2004) and therefore may be viewed as hidden subpopulations. As a result, these young men are understudied and underrepresented in clinical settings since few targeted outreach efforts have focused on them (Clatts, Davis, & Atillasoy, 1995). NIH Public Access Resilience in Populations at RiskWhile multiple unfavorable outcomes exhibited by YMSM have been well documented in the literature, there is also growing interest in better understanding resilience in populations at risk (Anderson, 1998;Russell, 2005;Savin-Williams, 1990). Resilience is conceptualized as a process of positive adaptation in the context of significant adversity (Luthar, Cicchetti, & Becker, 2000). Resilience is typically inferred by examining the functioning of individuals who have experienced hardship in their early upbringings in various domains later in life. Those who exhibit both early hardship and later positive outcomes are considered resilient (Masten, 2001;Rutter, 1985). For instance, McGloin and Widom (2001) studied adults with past substantiated cases of childhood sexual abuse or n...

In Singapore, a densely urbanised Asian city state, more than 80% of the population stays in public housing estates and the majority (90%) own their own homes. For the needy who cannot afford home ownership, public rental flats are available. We were interested in exploring social-environmental factors that are associated with loneliness among elderly residents of public rental housing in Singapore. We surveyed residents aged ≥60 in two Singapore public housing precincts in 2016. Loneliness was measured using a three-item scale. Sociodemographic information was obtained via standardised questionnaires. We used chi-square to identify associations between loneliness and sociodemographic characteristics, as well as neighbourhood perceptions (safety, convenience and the physical environment), on univariate analysis; and logistic regression for multivariate analysis. The response rate was 62.1% (528/800). On multivariate analysis, staying in a rental flat block was independently associated with loneliness (adjusted odds ratio, aOR = 2.10, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.32–3.36), as was staying in a poorer physical environment (aOR = 1.92, 95% CI = 1.15–3.22). Although needy Singapore residents share the same built environment as more well-to-do neighbours, differences in the impact of loneliness do exist.

This is a repository copy of Parental expectations of raising a child with disability in decision-making for prenatal testing and termination of pregnancy: A mixed methods study.

Background Healthy aging in place is affected by what the neighborhood provides for older adults. The mixed-methods ethnographic study explored the built environmental and contextual effects of urban parks and traditional local coffeeshops (kopitiam) on health practices among older adults in Singapore. Methods A door-to-door survey with 497 older adults from 32 residential blocks in a public housing town assessed exercise and smoking. The walking distances from the residential blocks to the facilities were calculated. Regression analysis examined the associations between the distance and rates of exercise and smoking. Ethnographic assessment data contextualized the quantitative findings. Results Older adults’ exercise was associated with proximity to an urban park but not traditional local coffeeshops. High rates of smoking were clustered in the housing blocks close to the coffeeshops, which provided casual drinking places with smoking tables. The proximity to the coffeeshops was significantly associated with increased smoking and decreased exercise. A walking distance of 200 m to the park and coffeeshops was found to discriminate the outcomes. Conclusions The findings suggested that walking distances of a few blocks influenced health behaviors among older adults. Their smoking habits appeared to be maintained through environmental features and cultural norms attached to the coffeeshops. Policy of urban planning and redevelopment for the aging population needs to consider the socioecology of healthy aging in place.

No abstract

No abstract