Image Citation: Jackson et al., 2024, p. 8, Figure 6. Now Perfectly Imperfect, Water Color, Artist #6.
Breaking Through the Brokenness: An Arts-Based Qualitative Exploration of Pregnant Women’s Experience of Intimate Partner Violence while Receiving Trauma- and Violence-Informed Antenatal Care is a groundbreaking Canadian project with a unique combination of arts-based inquiry and trauma informed care (TVIC) to enhance understanding of women’s experiences with perinatal care in the context of IPV.
This project integrated various art forms, including visual art, thematic poetry, and performance, to analyze and interpret qualitative data. This innovative approach resulted in rich, embodied understandings of the experiences of pregnant women receiving mental health care related to their experience of IPV. A unique and empathic way to understand and translate women’s experiences of IPV, pregnancy, healing, and strength, resulted from the creation of nine pieces of visual art and four poems reflecting participants’ journeys.
Given the explicit intention of arts-based research to reach a wide audience, the project team is disseminating these findings and art creations to emotionally and cognitively engage diverse audiences with hopes of raising awareness and driving positive policy and social change.
The findings from this project underscores the potential of combining art with TVIC to improve care and social services for childbearing women experiencing IPV.
We hope you enjoy reading!
Article Citation:
Jackson KT, Mantler T, O’Keefe-McCarthy S, Davidson CA, Shillington KJ, Yates J. “Breaking through the Brokenness”: An Arts-Based Qualitative Exploration of Pregnant Women’s Experience of Intimate Partner Violence while Receiving Trauma- and Violence-Informed Antenatal Care. Creative Nursing. 2024;0(0). doi:10.1177/10784535241256872