The National Women's Health Information Center reports that domestic
violence is the leading cause of injury to American women and that nearly one-third
of American women have been physically assaulted by their significant other
at some point in their lives. These women often experience depression, low self-esteem,
anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and grief (Campbell et al., 1995).
Literature supports the use of physical activity in promoting psychological well-being.
The purpose of this study, then, was to evaluate the influence of physical
activity on how survivors of domestic violence view themselves and their
circumstances. The participants were seven women (18 to 54 years) who had been
in abusive relationships, on average for eleven years, and who had recently left
their partners. The participants were given access to an exercise facility and
participated in one, two, three, or four interviews at one-month intervals. Interview
questions covered abuse history, physical activity levels, self-view, emotional
status, and how exercise may have influenced these factors. Qualitative analysis of 11
participants' responses revealed that exercise gave women the perception of
healing, "getting out of trauma mode," of working towards a future self, "moving
towards the vision of the type of person that I want to be," and freedom. Exercise
improved their self-view by demonstrating to them that they were advancing
beyond their abuse-controlled lives; that they were taking care of themselves.
Women found exercise an effective means of "eliminating nervous energy" that
resulted from being battered women, which in turn improved emotional status.
Results are discussed in terms of the unique benefits derived from physical activity
by these women, how exercise enhanced their recovery, and suggestions made by
participants as to how the benefits of exercise could be fully realized. / Graduation date: 2004
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/29936 |
| Date | 18 March 2004 |
| Creators | Concepcion, Rebecca Yahnke |
| Contributors | Ebbeck, Vicki |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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