Arts-based research deepens understanding of intimate partner violence during pregnancy

A study led by Western nursing professor Kimberley Jackson demonstrates the power of arts-based research to communicate scientific findings and raise awareness about a widespread public health problem: intimate partner violence (IPV) and, specifically, IPV during pregnancy .

The project grew out of a 2018 intervention study in which Jackson and health studies professor Tara Mantler examined the effectiveness of a trauma- and violence-informed (TVIC) care program for pregnant women who had experienced intimate partner violence.

Results of the study were positive. Through cognitive behavioral therapy, participants learned more effective coping skills and experienced improved mental health. They felt more capable of being mothers because of the “breakthrough moments” that came from the “life-changing” program.

While these comments were encouraging in themselves, Jackson said she and her team felt “morally compelled to disseminate and share the results in a more accessible and interesting way, not only for academics, but also for laypeople.”

Jackson, along with Brock University professor Sheila O’Keefe-McCarthy, conducted a secondary analysis of the data using an arts-based approach to health research, integrating visual art, thematic poetry, and performance to analyze, interpret, and report qualitative data.

“An arts-based methodology has the explicit intention of reaching an audience, of mobilizing the artworks to create social awareness in a way that will inspire positive change,” Jackson said. “Sometimes conventional research methods can perpetuate ideas that create stigma around this topic. We needed something to break that convention and seek a more empathetic understanding.”

The team presented their findings in the paper “Breaking the Brokenness: An Arts-Based Qualitative Exploration of Pregnant Women’s Experience with Intimate Partner Violence While Receiving Trauma- and Violence-Informed Prenatal Care,” recently published in Creative Nursing.

Raising awareness, evoking empathy through art

The project included four key sentences.

First, O’Keefe-McCarthy analyzed transcripts of women describing their experiences in the TVIC program. Four themes and four poems emerged: Black Deep Corners, Triggering my Thoughts, Breaking through the Brokenness, and Now Perfectly Imperfect.

Local artists then created works of art based on a theme that resonated with them.

All of the paintings – from one depicting a sturdy stand of aspen trees that overcame the harsh conditions in Saskatchewan to another depicting the Japanese tradition (Kintsugi) of repairing broken pottery with gold – reflected resilience and empowerment.

“We didn’t guide the artists, but all their works radiated strength, that was the underlying theme,” Jackson said.

The poem Breaking Through The Brokenness inspired an artist to create a mosaic of broken ceramics.

“The mother has the baby at her breast and she is feeding him. There are a lot of little things that are broken about her, but the sun is shining through the window and it is colorful. There is hope,” Jackson said.

The art was then exhibited at a special knowledge mobilization event attended by academics, medical professionals, IPV service providers, students and the public.

“We clustered the art based on the themes that led the audience through this healing journey – where they initially felt very broken and then moved to hope and empowerment,” Jackson said.

A masked orator recited the poetry in theatrical form, adding an extra level of emotion to the exhibition, eliciting an “overwhelmingly positive” response from the audience.

“Their reactions were profound,” Jackson said. “Some students said they couldn’t believe that data could be translated in this way and were really inspired by the idea that knowledge dissemination is about more than just papers and conferences.”

The artwork will make its international debut in November at the Nursing Network on Violence Against Women conference in Phuket, Thailand.

Next Steps, New Study: The Art of Mothering

According to Jackson, more research is needed to better understand the domino effects that arts-integrated research can have on engaging people from different disciplines in implementing positive policy changes.

She and Mantler recently completed a follow-up study called The Art of Mothering, a new project in which pregnant women experiencing IPV created artwork to represent their individual experiences with motherhood.

“I am very excited to share these results,” said Jackson, energized by the new approach to arts-based research and its power to cultivate empathy through visual and immersive storytelling.

“We want people to be aware that intimate partner violence happens, and that it is especially problematic for women of childbearing age. We also want to help destigmatize it. The more we talk about it, the more people understand it, the less stigma there will be. We hope that this will encourage women to seek help and do what they need to do to live a fulfilling life.”