Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 2, 2026

Auricular Point Acupressure Therapy: A Safe and Effective Treatment for Postsurgical Abortion Recovery
Published on: February 3, 2026
Discovering the Self: A Grounded Theory of Women's Recovery From Gender-Based Religious Harm
Beth K Schwartz1, Pamela H Cone2
1School of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Aim(S):
This study defines adverse religious experiences (AREs), describes how these gendered harms affect women and develops a Classical Grounded Theory (CGT) model of women's recovery and inform trauma- and gender-responsive nursing practice.
Design:
Using the CGT design, the study explores women's lived experiences with AREs, focusing on their primary concern and the strategies they used to address it.
Methods:
Fifteen North American women participated in open-ended, semi-structured interviews conducted between May and June 2023. Data collection and analysis occurred concurrently by using constant comparison. Theoretical saturation was reached by approximately 12 interviews and was confirmed through three additional interviews. Theoretical coding was guided by Glaser's Six Cs.
Results:
The central issue was Loss of Self, with limited agency, embodiment and autonomy due to internalised religious control. This study conceptualises AREs as a gendered determinant of health and introduces a nursing-generated explanatory model of women's recovery from religious harm. The Basic Social Process, Discovering Self, includes six cyclical phases: Living with Toxicity, Loss of Self, Recognizing Woundedness, Leaving Negativity, Seeking Restoration and Awakening to Wholeness. Analytic integration with the Six Cs showed that doctrinal rigidity, gendered hierarchies, conditional belonging, turning points and psychological, spiritual and relational consequences shaped individual recovery paths. Recovery proved a nonlinear, whole-person process spanning spiritual, physical, sexual and relational domains.
Conclusion:
Discovering Self offers the first explanatory model of women's recovery from religious harm, identifying mechanisms of oppression and pathways for reclaiming agency, embodiment and voice.
Impact:
This study provides a roadmap for trauma- and gender-responsive nursing care, education and policy. The findings align with global priorities in health and gender equality.
Reporting Method:
This study followed the SRQR guidelines and used CGT methodology.
Patient Or Public Contribution:
Patients or the public were not involved in the study.
More Related Videos
08:53Integrating Computerized Linguistic and Social Network Analyses to Capture Addiction Recovery Capital in an Online Community
Published on: May 31, 2019
06:42Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses
Published on: September 28, 2018
Related Concept Videos
Equity Theory
Horney's Sociocultural Approach
Bonanno's Theory of Grieving
Resilience
Fundamental Attribution Error
Stereotype Threat and Self-fulfilling Prophecies
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy