Date of Award

Spring 4-7-2025

Document Type

Restricted Access Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Dr. Michelle K Ullery

Second Advisor

Dr. Joyce Miller

Third Advisor

Dr. Kathleen Clark

Abstract

No woman is immune to intimate partner violence (IPV) regardless of their religion, socioeconomic status, culture, or level of education. Intimate partner violence is a prevalent problem that affects more women than men globally, is “underreported”, and poorly managed within the health care system. Intimate partner violence has also accounted for multiple homicides, social and health challenges. Consequently, IPV is a pervasive and stressful social issue that impacts these women and their immediate community; therefore, addressing intimate partner violence has become a public health goal.

Storytelling is a therapeutic tool that encourages emotional healing in a safe space, free of judgment and full of compassion. Storytelling helps identify the impact of IPV on its victims and discover ways in which victims can find purpose in their pain and gain control over their narrative. This quality improvement project explored the effectiveness of storytelling in healing from IPV induced emotional pain among twelve indigenous Black, women. The women’s ages ranged from 30-60, and they had never had prior exposure to the use of storytelling. The author met with the women individually for one hour every week for six weeks. Twelve participants were committed to healing and learned adaptive coping mechanisms. Ten participants developed resilience, and confidence and found storytelling beneficial to their healing journey. The theoretical framework that guided this project was the Science of Human Caring by Jean Watson. The Caritas processes guided the care and nurturance of these women in a holistic manner, meeting the needs of the body, mind, and soul.

Keywords: intimate partner violence, storytelling, resilience.

Identifier

SC 11.DNP.2025.Achinge.F.D.

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