Understanding how British Pakistani women speak about resilience through the lens of the Resilience Portfolio Model

Abstract

The aim of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the way British Pakistani women speak about resilience during the Covid-19 adversity. It draws upon in-depth narrative interviews with 13 British Pakistani women, aged between 38 to 69. The analysis is grounded in the Resilience Portfolio Model developed by Grych and colleagues. The Resilience Portfolio Model proposes that each individual has a unique “portfolio” of strengths and protective factors which consists of ‘assets’ (regulatory strengths, interpersonal strengths, and meaning-making strengths) and resources available to individuals. Just like many people across the globe, women were impacted by the pandemic in different ways, nevertheless, they maintained resilience through regulatory behaviours of walking and enjoying nature, engaging in praying and reading of the Quran. Women invested in positive relationships that supported the development of social capital within their community and allowed them to connect with others in meaningful and reciprocal ways. Their religious beliefs and identity was not only key in their ability to make sense of the pandemic, but promoted a sense of belonging which enabled them to engage with their community resources. Findings show that women’s assets worked in tandem with their resources to promote their overall wellbeing during the Covid-19 adversity. This highlights the need for practitioners to combine individual ‘strengths’ and community resources when developing preventative and responsive interventions for ethnic minority women who have experienced adversity and for policy initiatives to consider recreational resources that help to minimise isolation in ethnic minority communities.