Trauma Recovery of Greek Women Who Have Experienced Gender-Based Violence: A Narrative Research
Katerina Lathiotaki,
Kleio Koutra,
Nikoleta Ratsika,
Denise Saint Arnault
Affiliations
Katerina Lathiotaki
Department of Social Work, School of Health Sciences, Laboratory of Applied Social Research and Social Work, Institute of Agri-Food and Life Sciences, University Research Centre, Hellenic Mediterranean University, GR-71410 Heraklion, Greece
Kleio Koutra
Department of Social Work, School of Health Sciences, Laboratory of Applied Social Research and Social Work, Institute of Agri-Food and Life Sciences, University Research Centre, Hellenic Mediterranean University, GR-71410 Heraklion, Greece
Nikoleta Ratsika
Department of Social Work, School of Health Sciences, Laboratory of Applied Social Research and Social Work, Institute of Agri-Food and Life Sciences, University Research Centre, Hellenic Mediterranean University, GR-71410 Heraklion, Greece
Denise Saint Arnault
Department of Health Behavior and Biological Sciences, School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, USA
In a society where women still suffer from oppression and injustice, research on gender-based violence (GBV) and trauma recovery path is considered a priority. Specifically, it was to be researched how the social and cultural obstacles can affect the help-seeking behavior of Greek women who experienced GBV. The data of this qualitative research were collected through narrative interviews and the analysis was carried out with the thematic analysis. The significant findings of the research were that the feelings of the women changed through the violent relationship, with the feelings of betrayal, guilt, and shame dominating. Moreover, the relative network was not notably utilized, while it seems that the women who utilized their social network were helped to evolve. Additionally, the feelings of guilt and shame stood out as an obstacle to help-seeking behavior and the functionality of the women was reduced on multiple levels during the period in which they experienced gender-based violence. Finally, the physical symptoms of the women during that period, such as musculoskeletal pain, numbing, and gastrointestinal problems, evoke great interest.
