Opportunity, outlook and coping in poor urban African American late‐age female adolescent contraceptors

Abstract

The article, based on empirical research, reports on a group of economically disadvantaged non‐pregnant Black female adolescents who are futuristically oriented and have self‐expectancies for social mobility. The paper explores concepts of resilience, equal opportunity and coping within a person‐process‐context model. The model, centered on an intersubjective matrix of self‐assertion and the need for recognition, suggests that minority adolescents develop complex coping strategies to manage daily challenges in living. Complex coping strategies matched with social supports enable non‐pregnant adolescents to plan positively for the future. Finally, clinical implications of a strengths perspective are discussed.