Young Emancipated Women in Guatemala

Abstract. Social support is an important factor influencing the development of resilience across cultures and contexts. In this study, we explored the experiences of social support to the development of resilience among young Guatemalan women who were emancipated from system-based care. The study included 12 participants with an average age of 21 years who resided in the San Lucas Guatemala region. Thematic coding revealed the necessity of relational social support. Subthemes included social support identified and experienced through unconditional love, religiosity, and interpersonal relationships expressed within the realm of Guatemalan cultural values. Opportunities for social support varied considerably and were dependent upon the individual's ecological systems as well as the organizational and individual resources related to staffing and economic funds of the orphanages and group homes. Socioeconomic burdens are consistently present in Guatemala due to the marked inequality of wealth distribution. The disparities were greater among those facing significant life changes such as early separation from families of origin and those with access to fewer resources. This study demonstrates that social support serves as a strong protective factor in resiliency development, mitigating many of the risks present for Guatemalan women in their daily lives, workplaces, families, and communities.