The Lived Experience of Resilience in the Setting of Chronic Illness and Low-Resource Communities of African Americans That Reside in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi

Abstract

Introduction Strong links can be made between chronic illness, low-resource communities, and poor health outcomes. One such area is the Mississippi Delta within the United States that has identified its residents rank the lowest in overall health indicators with high rates of chronic illness. Objective This study aimed to explore the phenomenon of resilience in the setting of chronic illness and low resourced communities to gain baseline knowledge of the topic to improve protective resilience within the community. Methods The descriptive phenomenological psychological reduction method outlined by Giorgi et al. was used based on semistructured and in-depth interviews with eight individuals (ages 33–64) who were recruited by purposive sampling through a humanitarian organization. Results Six themes of the lived experience of the participants revealed the eidetic structure and essence of the experience. The results of the study provided important implications related to the meaning of chronic illness to the individual, poor resilient risk factors, antecedents to resilience, and areas to focus on for resilience promotion. Conclusion A lifeworld perspective of the individual can help nurses develop a greater understanding in formulating interventions for resilience promotion.