scholarly journals Waiting for the cold to end : a qualitative exploration of PhotoVoice as a therapeutic intervention with survivors of sexual assault

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Abigail Jordan Rolbiecki
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Posttraumatic Growth ◽  
Therapeutic Intervention ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Mental Health Disorder ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Cognitive Reframing ◽  
Midwestern University ◽  
Quantitative Results ◽  
Qualitative Exploration

Sexual assault has reached epidemic proportions, and disproportionately affects college-aged women. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is the most commonly associated mental health disorder associated with sexual assault. There are many scientifically proven successful interventions for treating PTSD among survivors; however, these interventions fail to address posttraumatic growth as a form of recovery. Research states that without posttraumatic growth, symptoms associated with PTSD will continue to surface. This study explored PhotoVoice "a participatory action research method" as a brief therapeutic intervention for survivors of sexual assault. The purpose of this research was to examine how PhotoVoice allowed survivors to grow post-trauma as they reconstructed their identities through a process of cognitive restructuring, exposure, and narrative group work. Nine women participated in PhotoVoice, and each woman was given a camera to photograph images that represented her sexual assault, or healing experiences. They met together three times to discuss their photos. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to guide the discussion. Each group held an exhibit where they displayed their photos and invited attendees. Qualitative results showed that participants were able to confront their triggers through a process of exposure, as well as address their negative distortions through cognitive reframing and meaning-making. The exhibits allowed participants to reclaim control over their self-narratives, as well as educate stakeholders about the traumatic impacts of sexual assault at a Midwestern university. Quantitative results revealed a decrease in symptoms of PTSD, as well as an increase in posttraumatic growth and positive rape attributions.

scholarly journals Resilience and Resistance in the Campus Sexual Assault Literature

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Molly Catherine Driessen
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Posttraumatic Growth ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Doctoral Dissertation ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Campus Sexual Assault ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Conceptual Paper

Many researchers have focused on documenting the consequences of campus sexual assault (CSA), but there is a dearth of research on students' post-assault lived experiences. Specifically, there is a lack of scholarship exploring how student victim-survivors of CSA may view, understand, resist, or experience resilience as they navigate their post-assault life on campus. The purpose of this conceptual paper is to explore the question, "How is resilience described and defined in the literature of CSA?" To respond to this question, I explore other related but distinct concepts that appear in the literature around resilience, including posttraumatic growth, meaning-making, and recovery. Although the focus is on CSA literature, I also include scholarship broadly related to trauma, as well as related populations and topics, given the limited research specific to resilience and CSA. Finally, I briefly introduce two theoretical perspective that have informed and guided the conceptualization of this paper, including socio-ecological and intersectional feminist theoretical perspectives. This conceptual paper and discussion of resilience was a result of preparation for my doctoral dissertation study in social work that aimed to explore the phenomenon of resilience among undergraduate students who had experienced CSA, through a qualitative inquiry that used post-intentional phenomenological methods.

Posttraumatic Growth in Trauma Survivors: Meaning Making and Locus of Control

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Melissa Zeligman ◽  
◽  
Lindsey Grossman ◽  
Ashley Tanzosh ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Locus Of Control ◽  
Posttraumatic Growth ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Trauma Survivors

Between sexual assault and compassion: The experience of living with a spouse’s dementia-related hypersexuality—A narrative case-study

Dementia ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 147130122110320
Author(s):  
Dovrat Harel ◽  
Tova Band-Winterstein ◽  
Hadass Goldblatt
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Intimate Relationship ◽  
Older Woman ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Narrative Case Study ◽  
As If

Background Hypersexuality is one of the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. This symptom can lead to poor quality of life for the person who lives with dementia, as well as for his or her caregiver, who might be exposed to sexual assault. Aim This study aimed to highlight the experience of an older woman living and coping with a spouse who exhibits dementia-related hypersexuality. Method A narrative case-study of a single case was designed, composed of four semi-structured interviews conducted over a 10-month period. The data were analyzed through thematic, structural, and performance analysis. Findings Four phases were revealed, depicting the experience of being a partner and caregiver of a spouse with dementia-related hypersexuality: a) “I need help”: A distress call; b) “It depends how long I agree to go on with it”: Living with the ambiguous reality of dementia-related hypersexual behavior within an ongoing intimate relationship; c) “It’s as if I’m hugging someone who’s no longer alive”: The transition from the previous couplehood identity to a new couplehood identity; and d) “I am just taking care of him as if he is a child”: A compassionate couplehood identity construction. Conclusions Living with a partner with dementia-related hypersexuality is a distressing experience for the caregiver-spouse. Yet, positive memories from a long intimate relationship can lead to the creation of a compassionate identity, which supports the caregiving process, and creates a sense of acceptance and meaning making. This, in turn, enables a positive aging experience. These finding have some practical implications for supporting and intervening in such cases.

scholarly journals Agency operating within structures: a qualitative exploration of agency amongst children living in Palestine

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica Cavazzoni ◽  
Cindy Sousa ◽  
Alec Fiorini ◽  
Guido Veronese
Keyword(s):  
Political Violence ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Gaza Strip ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
Childhood Studies ◽  
Children’S Agency ◽  
Military Violence ◽  
Children And Childhood ◽  
The Gaza Strip ◽  
Qualitative Exploration

<p>Over the last two decades the concept of agency has played a pivotal role in childhood studies, bringing a radical shift into the old views of children and childhood development. However, little agreement has been reached on what exactly agency means, how it should be measured, especially amongst children affected by military violence and oppression. Based on drawings and walk-along interviews with 70 children from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the present study provides an analysis of children’s agency across the multiple settings in which they live. Our findings highlight the dynamic interconnections between the children’s agentic practices (<i>the employment of social capital</i>; <i>challenging movement restrictions</i>; <i>receiving an education; personal strategies; reclaiming play-areas; meaning-making process and political agency</i>) and the multiple ecologies implied in promoting - or suppressing - their opportunity to act and cope with their surroundings. Our research challenges the dominant picture of children exposed to political violence as helpless victim, portraying them as active agents who mobilize resources both within themselves and throughout their social, physical, and political world. The study suggests implications for practices when designing intervention for children in contexts of chronic political violence.</p>

scholarly journals Youth Have A Voice - Qualitative Exploration Of A Participatory Action-Research Program

2018 ◽  
Vol 04 (04) ◽  
Author(s):  
Catia Branquinho ◽  
Ana Cerqueira ◽  
Lucia Ramiro ◽  
Margarida Gaspar de Matos
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Research Program ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Qualitative Exploration

Not a Big Deal? Examining Help-Seeking Behaviors of Sexually Victimized Women on the College Campus

2016 ◽  
Vol 62 (6) ◽  
pp. 1415-1429 ◽  
Author(s):  
McKenzie Wood ◽  
Amy Stichman
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
College Experience ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
College Campus ◽  
Sexual Crimes ◽  
Help Seeking Behaviors ◽  
University Campuses ◽  
Midwestern University

The sexual assault and coercion of women on university campuses continues to be an ongoing problem. It is estimated that more than 15% of women attending college experience some type of sexual assault or coercion each year. As universities and other social institutions begin to acknowledge the prevalence of sexual victimization, an increased emphasis has been placed on helping victims of sexual crimes. The current study uses results from 378 surveys completed by females at a midwestern university to examine the help-seeking behaviors of those who have been victimized. This study specifically focuses on formal and informal reporting, identifying help agents, and reasons for not reporting. Results reveal that 1% of women who were victimized reported their experience to a formal entity, whereas 45% told an informal agent, such as a friend or roommate. Reasons for not reporting included not identifying the experience as rape, wanting to keep the experience private, and feeling ashamed.

scholarly journals “You made it, you take care of it”: Data Management as Personal Information Management

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 53-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Fear
Keyword(s):  
Data Management ◽  
Information Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Personal Information ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Central Research ◽  
Personal Information Management ◽  
Midwestern University ◽  
Quantitative Results

This study explores how researchers at a major Midwestern university are managing their data, as well as the factors that have shaped their practices and those that motivate or inhibit changes to that practice. A combination of survey (n=363) and interview data (n=15) yielded both qualitative and quantitative results bearing on my central research question: In what types of data management activities do researchers at this institution engage? Corollary to that, I also explored the following questions: What do researchers feel could be improved about their data management practices? Which services might be of interest to them? How do they feel those services could most effectively be implemented?In this paper, I situate researchers’ data management practices within a theory of personal information management. I present a view of data management and preservation needs from researchers’ perspectives across a range of domains. Additionally, I discuss the implications that understanding research data management as personal information management has for introducing services to support and improve data management practice.

scholarly journals Trajectories of Posttraumatic Growth Following HIV Infection: Does One PTG Pattern Exist?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcin Rzeszutek ◽  
Ewa Gruszczyńska
Keyword(s):  
Hiv Infection ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Posttraumatic Growth ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Rapid Change ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
Hiv Diagnosis ◽  
Positive Reframing ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Single Pattern

AbstractThe aim of this study was to examine the heterogeneity of change of posttraumatic growth (PTG) among people living with HIV (PLWH) in a 1-year prospective study. The goal was also to identify sociodemographic and clinical covariates and differences in baseline coping strategies. Particularly, time since diagnosis and positive reframing coping were of special interest. The sample consisted of 115 people with medically confirmed diagnosis of HIV infection. The participants filled out paper-and-pencil questionnaires three times with an interval of 6 months, including also sociodemographic and clinical data. Four trajectories of PTG were identified: curvilinear, low stable, high stable, and rapid change. Participants’ gender, education level, CD4 count and time since HIV diagnosis occurred to be significant covariates of class membership. Positive reframing and self-distraction differentiated only between the high stable and the rapid change trajectory, with lower values in the latter. The study results call for attention to the complexity of PTG patterns in a face of struggling with HIV infection. Specifically, interventions in clinical practice should take into account the fact that there is no single pattern of PTG that fits all PLWH and that these differences may be related to the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics as well as to coping strategies representing meaning-making mechanism.

scholarly journals Drawing Gender Equality: A Participatory Action Research Project with Educators in Northern Uganda

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-160
Author(s):  
Shelley Jones
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Engaged Scholarship ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Multiple Materials

This paper reports upon an arts-based participatory action research project conducted with a cohort of 30 teachers in rural Northwest Uganda during a one-week professional development course. Multimodality (Kress & Jewitt, 2003; Kress & van Leeuwen, 2001) was employed as a “domain of inquiry” (Kress, 2011) for social semiotics (meaning-making within a social context) within which the participants both represented gender inequality as well as imagined gender equality. Multimodality recognizes the vast communicative potential of the human body and values multiple materials resources (such as images, sounds, and gestures) as “organized sets of semiotic resources for meaningmaking” (Jewitt, 2008, p. 246). Providing individuals with communicative modes other than just spoken and written language offers opportunities to include voices that are often not heard in formal contexts dominated by particular kinds of language, as well as opportunities to consider topics of inquiry from different perspectives and imagine alternative futures (Kendrick & Jones, 2008). Findings from this study show how a multimodal approach to communication, using drawing in addition to spoken and written language, established a democratic space of communication. The sharing and building of knowledge between the participants (educators in local contexts) and facilitator (university instructor/researcher) reflected a foundational tenet of engaged scholarship which requires “…not only communication to  public audiences, but also collaboration with communities in the production of knowledge” (Barker, 2004, p. 126).

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document