HyperRESEARCH Helps Women Behind Bars With Music

In a Poster Session submitted to the Spring Undergraduate Research Festival (2011) held by the Iowa Center for Research by Undergraduates at the University of Iowa, researchers Sumnima Neupane and Janette Y. Taylor, both with the University's College of Nursing, utilized HyperRESEARCH for their study on "Music Therapy for Incarcerated Women Recovering from Trauma and Abuse".

As noted in the Poster's abstract, "In the US, over 5.3 million victimizations related to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) occur annually, making IPV a major public health concern that disproportionately affects women's health. Survivors of IPV can experience a lifetime of increased risk for depression, anxiety, addiction, suicide attempts, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Additionally, women's experience of abuse is a risk factor for incarceration. The purpose of this study was to describe how a gender sensitive music intervention facilitated the healing experience and recovery process with incarcerated abuse women. A multi-modal gender-sensitive intervention--Music and Account-Making for Behavioral-Related Adaptation (MAMBRA) incorporated music and journaling to the traditional intervention of psychoeducation and group discussion.

A purposive sample of 25 women participated in the intervention. Narrative data is managed using HyperRESEARCH, a code-and-retrieve data analysis program. The researchers are using qualitative content analysis to reach consensus on codes and emerging themes related to recovery and healing facilitated through music. We anticipate that the findings will support the inclusion of gender-sensitive music and journaling combined with psycho-education and group discussion as effective strategies for healing by incarcerated IPV survivors."

The poster abstract and more details on the Festival can be viewed online here.