The Life I Love to Live: A Constructivist Theory of Resilience During and After Sex Trafficking

Resilience is essential to wellbeing for survivors of sex trafficking, as they typically face persistent adversity. In order to build knowledge of survivors' resilience that is grounded in their own lived experience and insights, in this study, two survivor-researchers developed a constructivist grounded theory of resilience during and after sex trafficking through 75 in-depth interviews with 44 survivors. The research question guiding this grounded theory study was, "How do survivors of sex trafficking define, attain and maintain resilience during and after trafficking?" Starting at the fourth interview, the ongoing analysis was presented to participants for discussion, and a draft of the theory was discussed in the last 20 interviews. The theory explicates that resilience is an inherent force from deep within that empowers a person to survive and/or reach for goals through current adversity. Support and resources enhance resilience, but it can manifest in the absence of these. The core component of the theory is making choices to survive or to navigate situations of limited options and oppression to reach for goals; hope, purpose, values and assets facilitate these choices. Participants' insights suggest that classic resilience factors like social support and future orientation confer resilience because they impact choice-making by: (a) mitigating the emotions and/or cognitions that would constrain the individual's choices such as hopelessness; (b) enhance the emotions and/or cognitions that foster decision and action such as a passion to help others and (c) provide individuals with what they need to discover, create and/or weigh options in the environment. This survivor study of resilience thus contributes to the knowledge base needed to design interventions that leverage survivors' existing assets and ally with their preferred options and strategies for addressing adversity and achieving "the life they love to live."