Exercise among women survivors of sexual violence: behaviors, perceptions, and preferences

Pebole, Michelle Marie

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/115669 Copy

Description

Title

Exercise among women survivors of sexual violence: behaviors, perceptions, and preferences

Author(s)

Pebole, Michelle Marie

Issue Date

2022-03-29

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Gobin, Robyn L

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Gobin, Robyn L

Committee Member(s)

• Singleton, Chelsea R
• Hall, Katherine S
• Petruzzello, Steven J
• Alston, Reginald J

Department of Study

Kinesiology & Community Health

Discipline

Community Health

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• trauma
• health behavior
• implementation
• mental health
• exercise

Abstract

Physical activity is associated with improved physical and mental health among populations that have experienced trauma. However, research in this area has been focused primarily on male-dominated populations, leaving limited work focused on women trauma survivors. Women are most frequently exposed to sexual violence (SV) related traumas. A robust understanding of current exercise behavior, preferences, and perceptions are needed to understand how trauma-related symptoms impact exercise behavior and to construct survivor-centered and trauma-informed exercise interventions for this population. This project was a cross-sectional survey which gathered information about exercise behaviors, preferences, and perceptions among women survivors of SV. Specific aims of this project were to: 1) examine the relationships between trauma-related symptoms on exercise behavior among women survivors of SV; 2) clarify the perceived benefits / barriers of exercise among women survivors of SV; and 3) explore exercise preferences among women survivors of SV. A sample of women (N = 355) survivors of SV were recruited using Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and responded to the online survey which asked about the specific aims of this project. Categorical data analysis techniques such as hierarchical logistic regressions, Chi-Square tests of independence, and Fisher’s exact tests were used to analyze the data. Results indicated: 1) there may be factors outside of trauma-related symptoms which impact exercise behaviors among this population; 2) perceptions of exercise barriers and facilitators may change based on activity or PTSD status; and 3) preferences for exercise interventions for this population may change by PTSD and activity status. These findings can be used to help create survivor-centered and trauma-informed exercise interventions for this population.

Graduation Semester

2022-05

Type of Resource

Thesis

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2022 Michelle Pebole

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