Vulnerability and Vulnerable Populations: What It Is, and What It Is Not

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Vulnerability and Vulnerable Populations: What it is and what it is not- A Personal Perspective Maria Jelyn Engelhardt-Parales, RN, CPhT NUR/440 June 4, 2012 Deborah Nallo, CRNP Vulnerability and Vulnerable Populations: What it is and what it is not- A Personal Perspective Interference in homeostasis within a person’s physiological, psychosocial, economic, environmental, family, and support systems increase the individual’s vulnerability to harm. Likewise, a group of people characterized by race, age, gender, economic status, illnesses, disabilities, and incapacities sharing specialized needs, and similar adversities fall under the category of vulnerable populations. The general connotation of vulnerability focuses on the deficit, susceptibility, predisposition, or higher probability of becoming “at risk for” health problems by virtue of poor socioeconomic status (SES), and racial disparities. There is much emphasis in the aggregate view of vulnerability and less consideration on the individuals within the group that are not. Focus of this literature is identifying individual strengths, not labels or weaknesses. Keywords: Vulnerability, vulnerable populations, racial disparities, stigmatization, socioeconomic status (SES). State of Vulnerability There is evidence that early life challenges affect vulnerability in adulthood. Vulnerability means susceptibility of a person or group to harm. Harm in context of health, safety, coping, and socio-economic inequalities. Attributes to an individual’s vulnerability to harm includes childhood trajectories related to poverty, malnutrition, poor parenting, neglect, abuse, and poor living environments. According to Mechanic and Tanner (2007), vulnerability, “is cumulative over the life course” and that “their adverse effects interact with later events in ways that increase the

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