"A Constant Reminder": How Intimate Partner Violence Survivors with Long-Term Injuries Perceive Their Bodies

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Sociology
• Trauma Studies

Background:

• Intimate partner violence (IPV) causes significant short- and long-term physical and mental health issues.
• Long-term injuries from IPV have lasting health impacts, yet research on survivors' subjective experiences and body perceptions is limited.
• Understanding survivors' embodied experiences is vital for effective, individualized care and fostering resilience.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how women survivors of IPV with long-term injuries perceive their bodies.
• To understand survivors' sense-making processes regarding their injuries and their consequences.
• To inform holistic care strategies that support psychological recovery.

Main Methods:

• Interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) was employed.
• Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 women survivors of IPV with long-term injuries.
• Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology of the body served as the theoretical framework.

Main Results:

• Four themes emerged: alienation of the body, disregard or denial of the body, acceptance of the body, and using the injured body for healing.
• Survivors' healing processes extend beyond physical rehabilitation.
• Reconstituting their embodied selves is a critical aspect of recovery.

Conclusions:

• For IPV survivors with long-term injuries, healing is an embodied process involving self-perception and identity reconstruction.
• Physical trauma significantly impacts self-perception and identity.
• Findings can guide the development of tailored interventions for survivors of IPV-related trauma.