Megan Charlakolu
Research Mentor(s): Denise Saint Arnault
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Nursing
Presentation Date: 08/03/2022
Presentation Type: Poster
Poster Number: 44
Session: Session II: 1:30 – 2:20pm
Room: League Ballroom
Authors: Megan Charlakolu, Courtney Julia Burns, BSE, Laura Sinko, PhD, RN, Denise Saint Arnault, PhD, RN, FAAN
Abstract
“Indications of trauma recovery after traumatic experiences often manifest as bodily sensations prior to narrative expression. Biologically, disembodied trauma memories affect the limbic system by locking the body into incomplete biological responses to perceived or actual threats. The body maps produced from the Clinical Ethnographic Narrative Interview have the potential to capture and model these dynamic sensations. This mixed methods study aimed to analyze the body maps generated by a sample of 24 gender-based violence survivors. To do this, we developed rubrics to code the body maps, and then integrated these scores with childhood sexual assault (CSA) history, trauma impact centrality, mental health indicators (such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression), and wellbeing (sense of coherence). Theoretical and clinical literature was integrated with qualitative analysis to construct rubrics, and allowed for modeling of physical, emotional, spiritual, or other domains survivors expressed during the body mapping task. Rubric scores were then analyzed against participants’ quantitative mental health and wellbeing indicators. We will present findings from this mixed method study examining mental health and wellbeing patterns, amongst survivors’ body maps, as well as implications for trauma-informed recovery practices.
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