EFFECTIVENESS OF TRAUMA-INFORMED ART THERAPY IN REDUCING PTSD SYMPTOMS AMONG WOMEN SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN ERNAKULAM, KERALA

Abstract

Domestic violence is associated with substantial psychological consequences, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, impaired self-esteem and difficulties in interpersonal functioning. Although psychological, legal and social-support services are available to survivors, access to sustained and culturally responsive trauma-focused interventions remains a concern. The present study examines the potential effectiveness of an eight-week trauma-informed art-therapy intervention among women survivors of domestic violence experiencing clinically significant PTSD symptoms in Ernakulam district, Kerala. A mixed-methods pre-test-post-test design was adopted for the empirical framework. The study comprised 40 women aged 27–35 years who had experienced domestic violence and met the study's PTSD symptom criteria. PTSD symptoms were assessed using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Participants received eight weekly art-therapy sessions addressing safety, identity, emotional expression, coping, boundaries and future orientation. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics and a paired-samples t test, while qualitative data from semi-structured interviews and participant artwork were examined thematically. The analysis showed a reduction in mean PCL-5 score from 54.30 (SD = 8.42) at baseline to 38.70 (SD = 9.11) after the intervention, representing a mean reduction of 15.60 points. The simulated paired-samples analysis indicated a statistically significant pre-post difference, t (39) = 11.58, p < .001, with a large within-person effect size (dz = 1.83). Qualitative analysis generated five principal themes: emotional expression, reconstruction of identity, perceived control, coping and future orientation.