"We Can Be Oppressed but That Does Not Mean We Cannot Fight Oppression": Narratives of Resilience and Advocacy From Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence.

Abstract

Helping others has been identified as an important component in recovery and resilience for women following intimate partner violence (IPV). However, little is known about the experiences of women who are IPV survivors and who also engage in formal and informal violence against women (VAW) advocacy work, such as supporting IPV survivors in a social work role or volunteering on VAW advocacy committees. Using in-depth semistructured interviews with nine "survivor-advocates" who were part of a larger study on IPV and resilience, this study extends the existing literature to examine the multidirectional relationship between IPV, advocacy work, and resilience using narrative analysis. Three distinct narratives were identified in survivor-advocates' accounts of their experiences of abuse and advocacy work. The working through the abuse narrative focused on using the knowledge and experience from advocacy work that began prior to IPV to critically reflect on the abuse and its meaning for women. The second narrative, helping others, focused on using personal experiences of abuse to help other IPV survivors. The third narrative, personal strength, focused on a personal identity as a lifelong advocate and inner strength and determination as central to resilience. The findings of this study demonstrate the multitude of ways that engaging in advocacy work interacts with abuse experiences and women's recovery and resilience processes. The findings of this study can inform approaches for promoting resilience and recovery for IPV survivors and highlight the importance of cultivating a critical understanding of abuse to support resilience and recovery following IPV.